used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
in the past
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
DOCTOR'SnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
possessive form of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading THE SPIRIT LOVERS.--THE DOCTOR'S STORY.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
a social unit living together
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
four-and-twenty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
a single distinct event
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
LOVERSnounUS /ˈlʌvərz/
plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading THE SPIRIT LOVERS.--THE DOCTOR'S STORY.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
medicaladjectiveUS /ˈmedəkəl/
relating to the study or practice of medicine
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
moderatelyadverbUS /ˈmɑːdərətli/
to certain extent or degree
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
absolutely essential
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
amounting to a large indefinite number
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
and nothing more
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
patientsnounUS /ˈpeɪʃənts/
plural of “patient” — a person who requires medical care
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
practitionernounUS /prækˈtɪʃənər/
someone who practices a learned profession
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
relateverbUS /rɪˈleɪt/
make a logical or causal connection
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading THE SPIRIT LOVERS.--THE DOCTOR'S STORY.
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 THE SPIRIT LOVERS.--THE DOCTOR'S STORY.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SPIRIT LOVERS.--THE DOCTOR'S STORY.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He was of good family, and his parents were moderately well off.
at the time that
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The first was that of a young man of about four-and-twenty, whom I shall call Charles.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
a late time of life
From this reading I am about to relate, gentlemen, a curious incident in my medical experience, many years ago.
but in spite of that
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading When I was yet a young practitioner I had already a numerous circle of patients, out of which it will be only necessary for me to bring two cases before you this evening.
