used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
admirableadjectiveUS /ˈædmərəbəl/
deserving of the highest esteem or admiration
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
ariditynoun
the quality of yielding nothing of value
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
compositionsnounUS /ˌkɑːmpəˈzɪʃənz/
plural of “composition” — the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
drearinessnounUS /ˈdriːrinəs/
extreme dullness; lacking spirit or interest
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
EARLYadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading EARLY MANHOOD.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
eventuallyadverbUS /ɪˈventʃəwəli/
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
happiestadjectiveUS /ˈhæpiəst/
superlative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
Hawthorne'snounUS /ˈhɔːθɔːrnz/
possessive form of “hawthorne” — United States writer of novels and short stories mostly on moral themes (1804-1864)
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
incubationnounUS /ˌɪŋkjuːˈbeɪʃən/
maintaining something at the most favorable temperature for its development
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
Lathrop
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
the literary culture
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
MANHOODnounUS /ˈmænhʊd/
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading EARLY MANHOOD.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
an amount of time
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
phasenounUS /feɪz/
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
prosperitynounUS /prɑːˈsperəti/
an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
quotesnounUS /kwoʊts/
plural of “quote” — a punctuation mark used to attribute the enclosed text to someone else
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
the state of being held in high esteem and honor
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Lathrop quotes a phrase to this effect from one of his letters, late in life.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
usesnounUS /ˈjuːsəz/
plural of “use” — the act of using
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They had their uses; they were the period of incubation of the admirable compositions which eventually brought him reputation and prosperity.
a late time of life
From this reading The twelve years that followed were not the happiest or most brilliant phase of Hawthorne's life; they strike me indeed as having had an altogether peculiar dreariness.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading But of their actual aridity the young man must have had a painful consciousness; he never lost the impression of it.
