used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
(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 An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
for the reason that
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
coveringnounUS /ˈkʌvərɪŋ/
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
put on clothes
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
flawlessadjectiveUS /ˈflɔːləs/
without a flaw
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
groanedverbUS /ɡroʊnd/
past form of “groan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
immaculateadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmækjuːlɪt/
completely neat and clean
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
and nothing more
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
roused to anger
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
sinkingnounUS /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
That's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
trousersnounUS /ˈtraʊzərz/
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
waistcoatnoun
a man's sleeveless garment worn underneath a coat
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
at the time that
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading 'What is the meaning of all this--why the flawless trousers, the immaculate morning coat?'
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An exclamation from William made us all turn and look at him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading 'I must have been mad,' he groaned, sinking into a chair and covering his face with his hands.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'I--I--put on a morning coat because you said I wasn't to get into evening dress,' he replied.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'That's what I thought myself just now when I caught sight of your waistcoat,' said Henry, staring at him.
