used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
chairful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
clothing in general
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
crucifixnounUS /ˈkruːsəfɪks/
representation of the cross on which Jesus died
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
destroyed or killed
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
immensitynoun
unusual largeness in size or extent or number
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
set afire or burning
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
plural of “object” — a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
and nothing more
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
oversleepverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈsliːp/
sleep longer than intended
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
small-town
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
Strawbridge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
swimmingnounUS /ˈswɪmɪŋ/
the act of swimming
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then in the darkness above him he saw a lighted candle and a crucifix.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
vigilnounUS /ˈvɪdʒəl/
a period of sleeplessness
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He thought that he was in a small-town hotel, and that the night clerk had allowed him to oversleep.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Only these two objects were visible, and they stood out, swimming in a black immensity.
at the time that
From this reading He reached out, expecting to touch a chairful of clothes, when he discovered that he was already dressed.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At some point in his vigil Strawbridge must have gone to sleep, for at some other point he awoke with a start.
