used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
in addition
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
attendantsnounUS /əˈtendənts/
plural of “attendant” — someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
courteousadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrtiəs/
exhibiting courtesy and politeness
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
recognizable; marked
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
demeanournounUS /dɪˈmiːnər/
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
disturbancenounUS /dɪˈstɜːrbəns/
activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
every person
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
guardedadjectiveUS /ˈɡɑːrdəd/
prudent
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
HadriannounUS /ˈhædriən/
Roman Emperor who was the adoptive son of Trajan; travelled throughout his empire to strengthen its frontiers and encourage learning and architecture; on a visit to Britain in 122 he ordered the construction of Hadrian's Wall (76-138)
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
the quality of being humane
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
incidentaladjectiveUS /ˌɪnsɪˈdentəl/
(sometimes followed by “to”) minor or casual or subordinate in significance or nature or occurring as a chance concomitant or consequence
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
includeverbUS /ˌɪnˈkluːd/
have as a part, be made up out of
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
inevitableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnevətəbəl/
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
and nothing more
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
matteredverbUS /ˈmætərd/
past form of “matter” — have weight; have import, carry weight
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
no person; not anyone
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
periodsnounUS /ˈpɪriədz/
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
personalitynounUS /ˌpɜːrsəˈnælɪti/
the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
plural of “person” — a human being
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
psychicaladjectiveUS /ˈsaɪkɪkəl/
affecting or influenced by the human mind
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
significancenounUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkəns/
the quality of being significant
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
and nothing more
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
successive (without a break)
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Things lost their significance to Him, persons lost their personality, events their importance; and time was not.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
at the time that
From this reading He had the sense at the beginning to include Himself in secret behind guarded doors; and also to hold His tongue when His attendants were in the Presence.
in or at the place that
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading April brought to Hadrian an experience of one of those periods of psychical disturbance which are incidental to the weakness of humanity, and inevitable by a man of His particular temper.
which person or people
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading He simply sat and wondered--wondered who He was, how He came there, who dressed Him like that, and when;--and decided that it did not matter.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading He kept a straight face, and forced Himself to courteous demeanour: but He was living in a world in which He felt Himself to be just off the floor and floating, a world in which everything was strange and everybody was quite strange, a world where nobody and nothing mattered the least little bit.
