used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
(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 And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
inflected form of “behold” — see with attention
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
Belford's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
any cognitive content held as true
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
concludeverbUS /kənˈkluːd/
decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
at any time
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
start firing a weapon
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
fortnightnounUS /ˈfɔːrtnaɪt/
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
gossipnounUS /ˈɡɑːsəp/
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
incredibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkredəbəl/
beyond belief or understanding
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
Josiah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
a room where books are kept
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
used to form the superlative
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
prodigiousadjectiveUS /prəˈdɪdʒəs/
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
ReverendnounUS /ˈrevərənd/
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
cut with a saw
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
having a supporting base
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
Twas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
unbelievableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnbəˈliːvəbəl/
beyond belief or understanding
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
in or at the place that
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
in or to any place at all
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was the most prodigious piece of gossip that ever fell in the way of the Reverend Josiah, and for a fortnight he carried it with him wherever he went.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "'Twas the most unbelievable tale I ever heard," he would cry.
wretchnounUS /retʃ/
performs some wicked deed
From this reading As for the poor wretch, if ever I saw a lost soul I beheld him standing before me there in Colonel Belford's library."
an affirmative
From this reading And then he would conclude: "Yes, yes, 'tis incredible and past all belief.
but in spite of that
From this reading "And yet where there is so much smoke there must be some fire.
