used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
affordedverbUS /əˈfɔːrdəd/
past form of “afford” — be able to spare or give up
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
alley-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
from appearances alone
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
archesnounUS /ˈɑːrtʃəz/
plural of “arch” — a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
criminalsnounUS /ˈkrɪmənəlz/
plural of “criminal” — someone who has committed a crime or has been legally convicted of a crime
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
dampadjectiveUS /dæmp/
slightly wet
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
downwardsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnwərdz/
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
dungeonsnounUS /ˈdʌndʒənz/
plural of “dungeon” — the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
ever-increasing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
exitnounUS /ˈeɡzɪt/
an opening that permits escape or release
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
flankedverbUS /flæŋkt/
past form of “flank” — be located at the sides of something or somebody
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
set up or found
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
herdnounUS /hɜːrd/
a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
indicationnounUS /ˌɪndəˈkeɪʃən/
something that serves to indicate or suggest
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
Ingleton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
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 Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
nearingverbUS /ˈnɪrɪŋ/
-ing form of “near” — move towards
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
a judge of a probate court
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
pungencynoun
wit having a sharp and caustic quality
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
questnounUS /kwest/
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
sheikhnounUS /ʃiːk/
the leader of an Arab village or family
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The air was damp and heavy, and the first indication that he was approaching the neighbourhood of the dungeons was afforded by his nose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “Surely,” he thought, “the sheikh is not such a beast as to herd Ingleton with the ordinary criminals!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
male cat
From this reading Tom found himself in a long broad alley-way, flanked by arches.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no sign of the dungeons, apparently no means of exit.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Coming at length to a narrow flight of steps leading downwards, the fact that he was nearing the object of his quest was borne in upon his sense with ever-increasing pungency.
