used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
Arslàn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
bindverbUS /baɪnd/
stick to firmly
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The summer day went by.
cupboardsnounUS /ˈkʌbərdz/
plural of “cupboard” — a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
darkenedadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkənd/
(of fabrics and paper) grown dark in color over time
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The summer day went by.
desksnounUS /desks/
plural of “desk” — a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
dreadedadjectiveUS /ˈdredɪd/
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading No one sought her.
hiredadjectiveUS /ˈhaɪərd/
having services engaged for a fee
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
go away from a place
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
in order that something should not happen
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
come together
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
mill-gardens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
not any; not one
From this reading No one sought her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
notarynounUS /ˈnoʊtəri/
someone legally empowered to witness signatures and certify a document's validity and to take depositions
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one sought her.
precinctsnounUS /ˈpriːsɪŋkts/
plural of “precinct” — a district of a city or town marked out for administrative purposes
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
sealsnounUS /siːlz/
plural of “seal” — fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
secrecynounUS /ˈsiːkrəsi/
the trait of keeping things secret
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
that is looked for
From this reading No one sought her.
not in physical motion
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The summer day went by.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The summer day went by.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The notary had put seals upon all the cupboards and desks.
any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome
From this reading She did not leave the precincts of the still mill-gardens; a sort of secrecy and stillness seemed to bind her footsteps there, and she dreaded to venture forth, lest she should meet the eyes of Arslàn.
watchersnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃərz/
plural of “watcher” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)
From this reading Two hired watchers sat in the little darkened room above.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The summer day went by.
