used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
aimverbUS /eɪm/
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
(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 If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
beforehandadjectiveUS /bɪˈfɔːrhænd/
being ahead of time or need
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
besiegingnounUS /bɪˈsiːdʒɪŋ/
the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Just think what misery they cause."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
depriveverbUS /dɪˈpraɪv/
take away possessions from someone
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
devoidadjectiveUS /dɪˈvɔɪd/
completely wanting or lacking
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
and nothing more
From this reading Just think what misery they cause."
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 If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
leadsnounUS /liːdz/
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
attach a tag or label to
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading Just think what misery they cause."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
not any; not one
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
by chance
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
express in words
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
hit with a missile from a weapon
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
siegesnounUS /ˈsiːdʒɪz/
plural of “siege” — the action of an armed force that surrounds a fortified place and isolates it while continuing to attack
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
carry out
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just think what misery they cause."
a special situation
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading "Oh, but one wants an aim," says Guy; "one must have a mark to shoot at.
warsnounUS /wɔːrz/
plural of “war” — the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Just think what misery they cause."
at the time that
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well," I say then, "I think if sieges and wars were done away with, it would be no bad thing.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading There is nothing so devoid of interest as doing something which leads to nothing, and is worth nothing when done."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If I were besieging a castle, and knew beforehand that I could not possibly take it, it would deprive me of all energy and object.
