used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "To inquire about my friend Nicholas Karanovitsch," I said.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
marked by lack of attention or consideration or forethought or thoroughness; not careful
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
chattedverbUS /ˈtʃætəd/
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Not dead?"
disappearancenounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
fednounUS /fed/
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
start firing a weapon
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
friend'snounUS /frendz/
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
death of a person
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
Haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you not heard--" he said, and paused.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
headquartersnounUS /ˈhedkwɔːrtərz/
(usually plural) the office that serves as the administrative center of an enterprise
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "Have you not heard--" he said, and paused.
temporary military shelter
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
inquireverbUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪr/
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "To inquire about my friend Nicholas Karanovitsch," I said.
Karanovitsch
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "To inquire about my friend Nicholas Karanovitsch," I said.
logsnounUS /lɔːɡz/
plural of “log” — a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
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 My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
neighbouringverbUS /ˈneɪbərɪŋ/
-ing form of “neighbour” — live or be located as a neighbor
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
information about recent and important events
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
NicholasnounUS /ˈnɪkələs/
a bishop in Asia Minor who is associated with Santa Claus (4th century)
From this reading "To inquire about my friend Nicholas Karanovitsch," I said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading "Have you not heard--" he said, and paused.
pleasantrynounUS /ˈplezəntri/
an agreeable or amusing remark
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "To inquire about my friend Nicholas Karanovitsch," I said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
cut with a saw
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
express in words
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading From the sudden disappearance of the look of careless pleasantry from my friend's face, and the grave earnest tone in which he spoke, I saw that he had bad news to tell.
in the company of; together with
From this reading My friend and I now sat down in front of a comfortable fire, fed with logs from the roof of a neighbouring hut, but we had not chatted long before he asked me the object of my visit to headquarters.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you not heard--" he said, and paused.
