used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
anew
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
(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 And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
crowdingnounUS /ˈkraʊdɪŋ/
a situation in which people or things are crowded together
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
without deviation
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
opinion or judgment
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
formed or conceived by the imagination
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
fillingnounUS /ˈfɪlɪŋ/
any material that fills a space or container
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
glitteringadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɪtərɪŋ/
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
javelins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
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 V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
sheavesnounUS /ʃiːvz/
plural of “sheaf” — a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
smilesnounUS /smaɪlz/
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
smote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
precisely as stated
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
a message informing of danger
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading And she was well and happy—by the smiles on her face.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Like a picture in its frame, there stood his wife dressed for Christmas.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading And the morning had come, as he had wished; for, as the door opened, the sun behind her smote away the darkness, and it seemed as if she had come down to him on those sheaves of glittering javelins.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading V THE SECOND OPENING OF THE DOOR Then, without the least warning, the door opened again, directly in his eyes, and everything was quite as he had fancied it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
an affirmative
From this reading And yes, closely crowding behind her, came the very people he knew would come, filling all the door and making a background for his picture.
