used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
amiableadjectiveUS /ˈeɪmiəbəl/
disposed to please
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
benevolentadjectiveUS /bəˈnevələnt/
intending or showing kindness
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what _could_ such a selection mean?
ChapmannounUS /ˈtʃæpmən/
United States pioneer who planted apple trees as he traveled (1774-1845)
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
cherishverbUS /ˈtʃerɪʃ/
be fond of; be attached to
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
at any time
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
FosterverbUS /ˈfɑːstər/
promote the growth of
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
genialadjectiveUS /ˈdʒiːnjəl/
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
a man of refinement
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
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 The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading But what _could_ such a selection mean?
mildadjectiveUS /maɪld/
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
and nothing more
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He could not be amiable, or benevolent, or mild, or genial.
preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
Pickwick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
providentiallyadverb
in a fortunately providential manner
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
RichmondnounUS /ˈrɪtʃmənd/
capital of the state of Virginia located in the east central part of the state; was capital of the Confederacy during the American Civil War
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
rotundadjectiveUS /roʊˈtʌnd/
spherical in shape
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
selectionnounUS /səˈlekʃən/
the act of choosing or selecting
From this reading But what _could_ such a selection mean?
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading But what _could_ such a selection mean?
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
a subdivision of a particular kind of thing
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had a narrow escape of losing our Pickwick and his familiar type.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what _could_ such a selection mean?
which person or people
From this reading The original notion was to have "a tall, long, thin man," and only for the late Edward Chapman, who providentially thought of the Richmond gentleman, Foster, we should have lost for ever the short, rotund Pickwick that we so love and cherish.
