used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
agentnounUS /ˈeɪdʒənt/
an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
bankernounUS /ˈbæŋkər/
a financier who owns or is an executive in a bank
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
befel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
calamitynounUS /kəˈlæməti/
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading It happened under the following circumstances.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
a state at a particular time
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
consolationnounUS /ˌkɑːnsəˈleɪʃən/
the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading It happened under the following circumstances.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading It happened under the following circumstances.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
juncturenounUS /ˈdʒʌŋktʃər/
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
a form of address for a man
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
not any; not one
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
and nothing more
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
an amount of time
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
preposterouslyadverb
so as to arouse or deserve laughter
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
PrimrosenounUS /ˈprɪmroʊz/
any of numerous short-stemmed plants of the genus Primula having tufted basal leaves and showy flowers clustered in umbels or heads
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
Spoonbillnoun
wading birds having a long flat bill with a tip like a spoon
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
stoppagenounUS /ˈstɑːpɪdʒ/
the state of inactivity following an interruption
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
a special situation
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Almost every body is in this condition at some period or other of his life.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
uncommonadjectiveUS /ənˈkɑːmən/
not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
not favored by fortune; marked or accompanied by or resulting in ill fortune
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading We have related that Mr Primrose, after hearing of the stoppage of his banker, went into the City to his agent at a preposterously late hour of the day, and that in so doing he lost his labour.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It is a sad thing to be the most unfortunate creature in the world; and the only consolation under such calamity, is the thought that it is by no means uncommon.
the act of creating written works
From this reading This calamity befel Lord Spoonbill at the juncture of which we are now writing.
