used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The guillotine had only just been introduced.
blood-color
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
coincidencesnounUS /koʊˈɪnsədənsɪz/
plural of “coincidence” — an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
EXECUTIONnounUS /ˌeksəˈkjuːʃən/
putting a condemned person to death
From this reading EXECUTION OF LOUIS XVI.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
guillotinenounUS /ˈɡɪlətiːn/
closure imposed on the debate of specific sections of a bill
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The guillotine had only just been introduced.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
ten 10s
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading The guillotine had only just been introduced.
and nothing more
From this reading The guillotine had only just been introduced.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading EXECUTION OF LOUIS XVI.
lowestadjectiveUS /ˈloʊəst/
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading EXECUTION OF LOUIS XVI.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
and nothing more
From this reading The guillotine had only just been introduced.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
coated with paint
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
rabblenounUS /ˈræbəl/
a disorderly crowd of people
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
raynounUS /reɪ/
a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
To recall to mind.
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
RevolutionnounUS /ˌrevəˈluːʃən/
a drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
scaffoldnounUS /ˈskæfəld/
a platform from which criminals are executed (hanged or beheaded)
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
the rays of the sun
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
superstitiousadjectiveUS /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs/
showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
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 This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
wonder-loving
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As the Place de la Revolution, the place of execution, came in view, a ray of sunshine fell upon the guillotine—one of those coincidences which the superstitious and the wonder-loving remember and treasure up.
woodworknounUS /ˈwʊdwɜːrk/
work made of wood; especially moldings or stairways or furniture
From this reading This open space was filled with a hundred thousand of the lowest rabble; soldiers thick about the scaffold; and high above the people stood a something, the woodwork of which was painted a blood-color.
XVInoun
the cardinal number that is the sum of fifteen and one
From this reading EXECUTION OF LOUIS XVI.
