used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
(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 “It’s all over,” Lady Luard replied.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
appearingnounUS /əˈpɪrɪŋ/
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
earthlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrθli/
of or belonging to or characteristic of this earth as distinguished from heaven
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
accept an excuse for
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
hoveringverbUS /ˈhʌvərɪŋ/
-ing form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s all over,” Lady Luard replied.
knockernoun
(Yiddish) a big shot who knows it and acts that way; a boastful immoderate person
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
Luard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
a particular point in time
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
not any; not one
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “It’s all over,” Lady Luard replied.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
recognisedadjectiveUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzd/
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading I recognised Lady Luard, but she had mistaken me for the doctor.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “It’s all over,” Lady Luard replied.
resonancenounUS /ˈrez.ən.əns/
The reinforcement or prolongation of sound or magical energy by reflection.
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
Stormer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Excuse my appearing at such an hour,” I said; “it was the first possible moment after I heard.”
temperateadjectiveUS /ˈtemprət/
(of weather or climate) free from extremes; mild; or characteristic of such weather or climate
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
tinklenounUS /ˈtɪŋkəl/
a light clear metallic sound as of a small bell
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
at the time that
From this reading A lady, in the hall, hovering behind the servant, came forward when she heard my voice.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading There were lights in the windows, and the temperate tinkle of my bell brought a servant immediately to the door, but poor Mrs. Stormer had passed into a state in which the resonance of no earthly knocker was to be feared.
