Chapter V

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

later than; following

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

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

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

large terrestrial monkeys having doglike muzzles

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

plural of “belief” — any cognitive content held as true

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

causing distress or worry or anxiety

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

(of sounds) repeating by reflection

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

plural of “emanation” — something that is emitted or radiated (as a gas or an odor or a light, etc.)

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

morally objectionable behavior

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

a deliberate act of omission

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading The story was foolishness.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

not accessible to view

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

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

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

lacking companions or companionship

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a surrounding or nearby region

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

occurring from time to time

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

and nothing more

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

the human beings of a particular nation or community or ethnic group

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

by chance

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

make a promise or commitment

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

plural of “recess” — a state of abeyance or suspended business

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading The story was foolishness.

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

plural of “superstition” — an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

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

From this reading ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

in or at that place or location

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

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

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

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

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

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

From this reading It always seemed to me to give out evil and disturbing emanations, nor was this night any exception to the rule.

(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 ALLAN MAKES A PROMISE I never could sleep well in the neighbourhood of the Black Kloof.

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

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.

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

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For hour after hour, cogitating the old wizard’s marvellous tale of the Walloos and Heu-Heu, their devil-ghost, I lay in the midst of the intense silence of that lonely place which was broken only by the occasional scream of a night-hawk, or perhaps of the prey that it gripped, or the echoing bark of some baboon among the rocks.

but in spite of that

From this reading And yet—and yet there were so many strange peoples hidden away in the vast recesses of Africa, and some of them had these extremely queer beliefs or superstitions.