used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
basementnounUS /ˈbeɪsmənt/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
contemplatingverbUS /ˈkɑːntəmpleɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading THE END.
facultiesnounUS /ˈfækəltiz/
plural of “faculty” — one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
set up or found
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
go away from a place
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
LeonnounUS /ˈliːɑːn/
a historical area and former kingdom in northwestern Spain
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
hear with intention
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
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 Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
not any; not one
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
the act of searching for something
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
not in physical motion
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE END.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His scattered faculties slowly recovered their power of calmly contemplating the situation, though he found no peace.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading Leon lay there a long time, unconscious of the flight of time.
vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/
in a vague way
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He rose to leave the house, and wandered vaguely from one room to another, seeking his way to the hall.
at the time that
From this reading When at length he reached it, he thought he heard strange voices, and stood still to listen; then, turning away, he descended a flight of back stairs that led to the basement floor, and tried to find his way out into the garden.
