used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
(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 There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
CatholicadjectiveUS /ˈkæθlɪk/
of or relating to or supporting Catholicism
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
a position or opinion or judgment reached after consideration
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
downstairsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈsterz/
on a floor below
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “I shall not keep you long,” said the stranger eagerly.
apart from; not including
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
exceptionaladjectiveUS /ɪkˈsepʃənəl/
far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading “I fear I must not stop long.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
indicatingverbUS /ˈɪndəkeɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “indicate” — be a signal for or a symptom of
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “I shall not keep you long,” said the stranger eagerly.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
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 “I fear I must not stop long.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I fear I must not stop long.”
not any; not one
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
parlour-window
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
PercynounUS /ˈpɜːrsi/
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
a human being
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I shall not keep you long,” said the stranger eagerly.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading “I fear I must not stop long.”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “I shall not keep you long,” said the stranger eagerly.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
someone who visits
From this reading I On the same afternoon Percy received a visitor.
walking-dress
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was nothing exceptional about him; and Percy, as he came downstairs in his walking-dress and looked at him in the light from the tall parlour-window, came to no conclusion at all as to his business and person, except that he was not a Catholic.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You wished to see me,” said the priest, indicating a chair.
