used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
alleviateverbUS /əˈliːvieɪt/
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading As they talked, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading As they talked, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change.
a person who is in charge
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
cobwebbed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
conferencenounUS /ˈkɑːnfərəns/
a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
the first light of day
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
emergedverbUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒd/
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
FargonounUS /ˈfɑːrɡoʊ/
largest city in North Dakota; located in eastern North Dakota on the Red river
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
set up or found
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
José
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
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 It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
lusts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
MexicannounUS /ˈmeksəkən/
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
of an obscure nature
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
occurverbUS /əˈkɜːr/
come to pass
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
passionsnounUS /ˈpæʃənz/
plural of “passion” — a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
poignantadjectiveUS /ˈpɔɪnjənt/
arousing affect
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading As they talked, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading As they talked, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
stainedadjectiveUS /steɪnd/
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
suggestionsnounUS /səˈdʒestʃənz/
plural of “suggestion” — an idea that is suggested
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
carry out
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they talked, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It didn’t take Fargo long to perfect his plans.
precisely as stated
From this reading As they talked, the very atmosphere of the room seemed to change.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
windowpanenounUS /ˈwɪndoʊpeɪn/
a pane of glass in a window
From this reading And the gray, soft, mysterious light of early morning came into that conference—through the stained and cobwebbed windowpane—and found a darkness it could not alleviate.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As the dawn emerged he talked them over with the Mexican, José, and the latter was ready with any little suggestions that did not occur to his chief.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It was tense, poignant as if with the remembered lusts and passions of an earlier, more savage world.
