used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
AbbeynounUS /ˈæbi/
a church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
blazingadjectiveUS /ˈbleɪzɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
carvedadjectiveUS /kɑːrvd/
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
chimneynounUS /ˈtʃɪmni/
a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
coalsnounUS /koʊlz/
plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
cracklingnounUS /ˈkræklɪŋ/
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
cushionsnounUS /ˈkʊʃənz/
plural of “cushion” — a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
Dunbar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading FLIGHT.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
imprisonmentnounUS /ˌɪmˈprɪzənmənt/
putting someone in prison or in jail as lawful punishment
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
improvedadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpruːvd/
made more desirable or valuable or profitable; especially made ready for use or marketing
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
immediately past
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
logsnounUS /lɔːɡz/
plural of “log” — a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
march in a procession
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
Maudesley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
not any; not one
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
oakenadjective
consisting of or made of wood of the oak tree
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
spaciousadjectiveUS /ˈspeɪʃəs/
very large in expanse or scope
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
tapestriedadjective
hung or decorated with tapestry
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was three o'clock in the morning now, and the servants had left the room at midnight; but the sick man had ordered a huge fire to be made up—a fire that promised to last for some hours.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The master of Maudesley Abbey was in no way improved by his long imprisonment.
which person or people
From this reading The man who called himself Henry Dunbar was lying on the tapestried cushions of a carved oaken couch that stood before the fire in his spacious sitting-room.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading He lay there, listening to the March wind roaring in the broad chimney, and watching the blazing coals and the crackling logs of wood.
