used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
amendmentnounUS /əˈmendmənt/
the act of amending or correcting
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading TWO BAD CASES.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
cause to be bored
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
Capt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading TWO BAD CASES.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
Elliott
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
hardestadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdəst/
superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
hinderedverbUS /ˈhɪndərd/
past form of “hinder” — be a hindrance or obstacle to
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
millverbUS /mɪl/
move about in a confused manner
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
on the contrary
From this reading Say rather, climb he _would_ not.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
express in words
From this reading Say rather, climb he _would_ not.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
stairwaynounUS /ˈsterweɪ/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
a special situation
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading TWO BAD CASES.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.