Chapter XVIII · Of the Spider and the Web

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

commonly used or practiced; usual

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium

From this reading These cracks were in the stairs that led from the lower room to the balcony.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

the overhead upper surface of a covered space

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

plural of “crack” — a long narrow opening

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

the habitation of wild animals

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

past form of “emanate” — proceed or issue forth, as from a source

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

relatively long in duration; tediously protracted

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

opinion or judgment

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

-ing form of “form” — create (as an entity)

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

past form of “illumine” — make lighter or brighter

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

being in captivity

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

plural of “lamp” — an artificial source of visible illumination

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

From this reading These cracks were in the stairs that led from the lower room to the balcony.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

move something or somebody to a lower position

From this reading These cracks were in the stairs that led from the lower room to the balcony.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

and nothing more

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

an addictive narcotic extracted from seed capsules of the opium poppy

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

from crude petroleum; used for candles and for preservative or waterproof coatings

From this reading The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

in the near future

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These cracks were in the stairs that led from the lower room to the balcony.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

caused to fall to the ground

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

precisely as stated

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.

an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

(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 The opium den was, of course, well illumined by several paraffin lamps.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading These cracks were in the stairs that led from the lower room to the balcony.

at the time that

From this reading When Frank was thrown into the little room beneath the stairs, and heard the key turn upon him, he at first believed himself to be in utter darkness.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The little room in which Frank was imprisoned extended from the foot of the staircase to the back wall, the staircase itself forming the ceiling, which was in consequence only about three feet high at one end of the room, and about twelve feet high at the other.

work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture

From this reading But very soon his eyes became accustomed to the dim light that emanated from several cracks in the woodwork.