used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
anew
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
(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 "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
installation from which a military force initiates operations
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
blighting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
the lower side of anything
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
a youthful male person
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
not accessible to view
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
the process of giving careful thought to something
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
errandnounUS /ˈerənd/
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
glimmeringnounUS /ˈɡlɪmərɪŋ/
a slight suggestion or vague understanding
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
masonrynounUS /ˈmeɪsənri/
structure built of stone or brick by a mason
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
massesnounUS /ˈmæsəz/
the common people generally
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
a particular point in time
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
niecenounUS /niːs/
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
owesverbUS /oʊz/
third-person singular of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
riskedverbUS /rɪskt/
past form of “risk” — expose to a chance of loss or damage
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
cut with a saw
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
make square
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
supportedadjectiveUS /səˈpɔːrtɪd/
sustained or maintained by aid (as distinct from physical support)
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading At the bottom he heard a step, and saw a light glimmering through the door at the far end of the hall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
Tremblade
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
villainnounUS /ˈvɪlən/
a wicked or evil person; someone who does evil deliberately
From this reading "It is that base villain!" he thought as he concealed himself behind one of the square masses of masonry that supported the roof above.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
in or at the place that
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
which person or people
From this reading We must now return to Walter de la Tremblade, who closed the door of the room where he had left his niece, and paused one moment to think.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
witheringadjectiveUS /ˈwɪðərɪŋ/
wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction
From this reading "He goes upon his dark errand, like the silent withering frost of autumn, blighting all the flowers it falls upon.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "It must be risked," he said: "the boy owes me much--He will not dare to doubt me;" and, without farther consideration, he again descended the stairs.
