used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
abbessnoun
the superior of a group of nuns
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
see with attention
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
distinguishverbUS /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/
mark as different
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
feebleadjectiveUS /ˈfiːbəl/
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
destroyed or killed
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
lamentationsnoun
an Old Testament book lamenting the desolation of Judah after the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC; traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
hear with intention
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
Marzio
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
in motion
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
pacesnounUS /ˈpeɪsɪz/
plural of “pace” — the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
on the contrary
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
recollectedverbUS /ˌrekəˈlektɪd/
past form of “recollect” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
only a very short time before
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
in the near future
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
spaciousadjectiveUS /ˈspeɪʃəs/
very large in expanse or scope
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
taperverbUS /ˈteɪpər/
diminish gradually
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I stopped, in order to listen better, but when I recollected myself, and was moving on, looking forward to my guide, behold I was in utter darkness.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
at the time that
From this reading We had gone about ten paces, when I seemed to hear lamentations.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We descended about fifty steps, and entered a rather spacious passage, which soon led us into a large room.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I suppose it to have been large, for, with the help of the feeble taper, I could scarcely distinguish the walls.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Marzio continued: "The old abbess walked in front, I followed, and the young girls brought up the rear.
