used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Things are bad, you say?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Things are bad, you say?”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
Couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
fitfuladjectiveUS /ˈfɪtfəl/
occurring in spells and often abruptly
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
grey-hairedadjective
showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
grimyadjectiveUS /ˈɡraɪmi/
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
half-hidden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
lampsnounUS /læmps/
plural of “lamp” — an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
moujiknoun
a Russian peasant (especially prior to 1917)
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
neighbournounUS /ˈneɪbər/
a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Sanine sat next to three peasants.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
passengersnounUS /ˈpæsəndʒərz/
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
peasantsnounUS /ˈpezənts/
plural of “peasant” — a country person
From this reading Sanine sat next to three peasants.
raggedadjectiveUS /ˈræɡəd/
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
railnounUS /reɪl/
a barrier consisting of a horizontal bar and supports
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
Sanine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sanine sat next to three peasants.
Sanine's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Sanine sat next to three peasants.
express in words
From this reading “Things are bad, you say?”
sheddingnounUS /ˈʃedɪŋ/
the process whereby something is shed
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
suffocatingadjectiveUS /ˈsʌfəkeɪtɪŋ/
causing difficulty in breathing especially through lack of fresh air and presence of heat
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Things are bad, you say?”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Sanine sat next to three peasants.
tightlyadverbUS /ˈtaɪtli/
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sanine sat next to three peasants.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
way-carriage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
wedgedadjectiveUS /wedʒd/
wedged or packed in together
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As he got in, they were engaged in talk, and one half-hidden by the gloom, said:
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading “Couldn’t be worse,” replied Sanine’s neighbour, an old grey-haired moujik, in a high, feeble voice.
wreathed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The lamps burned dimly in the suffocating atmosphere of the crowded rail way-carriage, shedding their fitful light on grimy, ragged passengers wedged tightly together, and wreathed in smoke.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Things are bad, you say?”
