used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
advancingadjectiveUS /ədˈvænsɪŋ/
moving forward
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
definiteadjectiveUS /ˈdefənət/
precise; explicit and clearly defined
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading In the last, we fancy we have seen a spectre.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
set up or found
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
goalnounUS /ɡoʊl/
the state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behavior intended to achieve it
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
grassyadjectiveUS /ˈɡræsi/
abounding in grass
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading In the last, we fancy we have seen a spectre.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
illusionnounUS /ˌɪˈluːʒən/
an erroneous mental representation
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the last, we fancy we have seen a spectre.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
Kenelm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
immediately past
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
magneticadjectiveUS /mæɡˈnetɪk/
of or relating to or caused by magnetism
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
meadsnounUS /miːdz/
plural of “mead” — United States anthropologist noted for her claims about adolescence and sexual behavior in Polynesian cultures (1901-1978)
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
mechanicallyadverbUS /məˈkænɪkli/
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
Moleswich
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
not any; not one
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
noticeableadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəsəbəl/
capable or worthy of being noticed
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
opticaladjectiveUS /ˈɑːptɪkəl/
of or relating to or involving light or optics
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
OxfordnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/
a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
quittingverbUS /ˈkwɪtɪŋ/
inflected form of “quit” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
retracingverbUS /riˈtreɪsɪŋ/
-ing form of “retrace” — to go back over again
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
rillnounUS /rɪl/
a small stream
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In the last, we fancy we have seen a spectre.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
sparklingadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːrklɪŋ/
shining with brilliant points of light like stars
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
spectrenounUS /ˈspektər/
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading In the last, we fancy we have seen a spectre.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading At last he found himself mechanically retracing his steps.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There must be," said he to himself, "a mental, like an optical, illusion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
in the direction of
From this reading A magnetic influence he could not resist drew him back towards the grassy meads and the sparkling rill of Moleswich.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading In the last, we fancy we have seen a spectre.
in the company of; together with
From this reading ON quitting Oxford, Kenelm wandered for several days about the country, advancing to no definite goal, meeting with no noticeable adventure.
