used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
daybreaknounUS /ˈdeɪbreɪk/
the first light of day
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
deplorableadjectiveUS /dɪˈplɔːrəbəl/
bad; unfortunate
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
errandnounUS /ˈerənd/
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
divisible by two
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
foremostadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrmoʊst/
ranking above all others
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
FortunatelyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by good fortune
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
haggardadjectiveUS /ˈhæɡərd/
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
plural of “heel” — the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
infernaladjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfɜːrnəl/
characteristic of or resembling Hell
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
millernounUS /ˈmɪlər/
United States bandleader of a popular big band (1909-1944)
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
MoorsnounUS /mʊrz/
plural of “moor” — one of the Muslim people of north Africa; of mixed Arab and Berber descent; converted to Islam in the 8th century; conqueror of Spain in the 8th century
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
plightnounUS /plaɪt/
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
regionsnounUS /ˈriːdʒənz/
plural of “region” — the extended spatial location of something
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
not in physical motion
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
a shaky motion
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading He did not even turn round, for fear that the door might be at his heels.
unclasped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At daybreak his hands unclasped and he fell in the road head foremost.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
at the time that
From this reading Fortunately for him, all were still asleep when he reached the village, and he could hide himself in bed without any one seeing his deplorable plight.
whitewashnounUS /ˈwaɪtwɑːʃ/
a defeat in which the losing person or team fails to score
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This was a great piece of good fortune for him, for he was covered with whitewash from head to foot, and so pale, haggard, and trembling that he might have been taken for the ghost of a miller escaped from the infernal regions.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without waiting to finish his errand, he ran as if the Moors were after him.
