used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
achievedverbUS /əˈtʃiːvd/
past form of “achieve” — to gain with effort
From this reading He had never achieved any remarkable success.
matters of personal concern
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He had never achieved any remarkable success.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
Clamens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
composernounUS /kəmˈpoʊzər/
someone who composes music as a profession
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
DanielnounUS /ˈdænjəl/
(Old Testament) a youth who was taken into the court of Nebuchadnezzar and given divine protection when thrown into a den of lions (6th century BC)
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
dramatistnounUS /ˈdrɑːmətɪst/
someone who writes plays
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
a boy or man
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Of the four, Daniel had the least talent.
usually; as a rule
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
intelligentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtelədʒənt/
having the capacity for thought and reason especially to a high degree
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
JewnounUS /dʒuː/
a person belonging to the worldwide group claiming descent from Jacob (or converted to it) and connected by cultural or religious ties
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
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 He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
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 Of the four, Daniel had the least talent.
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never achieved any remarkable success.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
painternounUS /ˈpeɪntər/
an artist who paints
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
unusual or striking
From this reading He had never achieved any remarkable success.
sculptornounUS /ˈskʌlptər/
an artist who creates sculptures
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
subsistencenounUS /səbˈsɪstəns/
minimal (or marginal) resources for subsisting
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading He had never achieved any remarkable success.
tactnounUS /tækt/
consideration in dealing with others and avoiding giving offense
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
talentnounUS /ˈtælənt/
natural abilities or qualities
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Clamens had three brothers,--one a composer, another a sculptor, and a third a painter: he himself was a dramatist.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
which person or people
From this reading He was an intelligent fellow, who knew how to manage his affairs with tact, so that, though he possessed neither fortune nor talent, he generally commanded the means of subsistence.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Daniel Clamens was a Jew, with a weakness for literature.
