used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
barbarian's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
next to; at the side of
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
Corvinus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
Dacian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
dartedverbUS /ˈdɑːrtɪd/
past form of “dart” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
the first light of day
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
describingverbUS /dɪˈskraɪbɪŋ/
-ing form of “describe” — give a description of
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
the act of discovering something
From this reading THE DISCOVERY.
the organ of sight
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
ForumnounUS /ˈfɔːrəm/
a public meeting or assembly for open discussion
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
set up or found
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
gloominessnoun
an atmosphere of depression and melancholy
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
hyenanounUS /haɪˈiːnə/
doglike nocturnal mammal of Africa and southern Asia that feeds chiefly on carrion
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
nailsnounUS /neɪlz/
plural of “nail” — horny plate covering and protecting part of the dorsal surface of the digits
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
and nothing more
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
outpostsnounUS /ˈaʊtpoʊsts/
plural of “outpost” — a station in a remote or sparsely populated location
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
parchmentnounUS /ˈpɑːrtʃ.mənt/
A stiff, flat, thin material made from the prepared skin of an animal, used for writing.
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
a feeling of intense anger
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
cut with a saw
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
sentinelnounUS /ˈsentənəl/
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
shredsnounUS /ʃredz/
plural of “shred” — a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
squintverbUS /skwɪnt/
cross one's eyes as if in strabismus
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
having a supporting base
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
stoliditynoun
apathy demonstrated by an absence of emotional reactions
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
successive (without a break)
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DISCOVERY.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
tigernounUS /ˈtaɪɡər/
a fierce or audacious person
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
twinklingnounUS /ˈtwɪŋkəlɪŋ/
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
undisturbedadjectiveUS /ˌʌndɪˈstɜːrbd/
untroubled by interference or disturbance
From this reading He found his outposts quite undisturbed, and hastened to the principal object of his care.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At the first dawn of morning, Corvinus was up; and, notwithstanding the gloominess of the day, proceeded straight to the Forum.
at the time that
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He would have darted at his throat, like a tiger, if he had not seen, in the barbarian’s twinkling eye, a sort of hyena squint, which told him he had better not.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be useless to attempt describing his astonishment, his rage, his fury, when he saw the blank board, with only a few shreds of parchment left, round the nails; and beside it standing, in unconscious stolidity, his Dacian sentinel.
