used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
anew
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
(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 He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/
an old form of “are”, used with “thou”
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading "It is like a black rainbow," said Gratian to himself.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
claspverbUS /klæsp/
hold firmly and tightly
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
having or capable of producing colors
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
moving swiftly
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
glimmered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
Gratian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is like a black rainbow," said Gratian to himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "It is like a black rainbow," said Gratian to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is like a black rainbow," said Gratian to himself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
nighadjectiveUS /naɪ/
not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
NOELnounUS /noʊˈel/
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
PATONnounUS /ˈpætən/
South African writer (1903-1988)
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
rainbownounUS /ˈreɪnboʊ/
an arc of colored light in the sky caused by refraction of the sun's rays by rain
From this reading "It is like a black rainbow," said Gratian to himself.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is like a black rainbow," said Gratian to himself.
only a very short time before
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
term of address for a man
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
in or at that place or location
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
VISITSnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was scarcely indeed to be called light; it was more like the reflection of faint colour on the dark background.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading He turned to the side whence it came, and to his surprise, in the all but darkness, there glimmered for an instant or two a sudden light.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
an affirmative
From this reading _To the Summer Wind._--SIR NOEL PATON Yes--he heard it again, and this time it sounded almost like voices speaking.
but in spite of that
From this reading FLYING VISITS "I see thee not, I clasp thee not; Yet feel I thou art nigh."
