used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
having companions or an escort
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
(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 The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
barrière
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
Bossuet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
butterfliesnounUS /ˈbʌtərflaɪz/
plural of “butterfly” — diurnal insect typically having a slender body with knobbed antennae and broad colorful wings
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
Courfeyrac
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
at any time
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
flakesnounUS /fleɪks/
plural of “flake” — a crystal of snow
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
Hilloh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hilloh!" said Bossuet, "there's Marius."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading JONDRETTE MAKES HIS PURCHASE.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
JONDRETTE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JONDRETTE MAKES HIS PURCHASE.
and nothing more
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading JONDRETTE MAKES HIS PURCHASE.
Marius
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
Mouffetard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
being perceived or observed
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
on one occasion
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
go across or through
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
plagueverbUS /pleɪɡ/
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
PURCHASEnounUS /ˈpɜːrtʃəs/
the acquisition of something for payment
From this reading JONDRETTE MAKES HIS PURCHASE.
RuenounUS /ruː/
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
express in words
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
a state of acute pain
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
there's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hilloh!" said Bossuet, "there's Marius."
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
thickeradjectiveUS /ˈθɪkər/
comparative of “thick” — not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At about three o'clock Courfeyrac happened to pass along the Rue Mouffetard, accompanied by Bossuet.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
a Caucasian
From this reading The snow was thicker than ever, and filled the air, and Bossuet had just said to Courfeyrac,-- "To see all these flakes of snow fall, we might, say that the sky is suffering from a plague of white butterflies."
in the company of; together with
From this reading All at once Bossuet noticed Marius coming up the street toward the barrière with a peculiar look.
