Chapter VIII · The Great Chain of Evil

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

later than; following

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

From this reading How long and arduous a task that had been, he could only conjecture.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)

From this reading How long and arduous a task that had been, he could only conjecture.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

plural of “drift” — a force that moves something along

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

to certain extent or degree

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

set up or found

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

past form of “hack” — cut with a hacking tool

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

plural of “hammer” — the part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading How long and arduous a task that had been, he could only conjecture.

having the identity known or established

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

plural of “implement” — instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

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 How long and arduous a task that had been, he could only conjecture.

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

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 For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

laborer who works in a mine

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

designed to deceive or mislead either deliberately or inadvertently

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

and nothing more

From this reading How long and arduous a task that had been, he could only conjecture.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

under normal conditions

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

keep from happening or arising; make impossible

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

be shown or be found to be

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

From this reading How long and arduous a task that had been, he could only conjecture.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena

From this reading In several of the drifts he found implements to prove his theory.

in or at that place or location

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

a special situation

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

the act of drawing a plan or diagram or outline

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

plural of “wedge” — any shape that is triangular in cross section

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

(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 Ordinarily John Abington thought fairly well of himself and he felt certain that these misleading characters could not prevent him from finding the way to the actual burial place.

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading After a glance or two that identified them with the early people he had been tracing, he went on and left the implements lying there for the present, knowing that he could return at any time and get them if he wished to do so.

in the company of; together with

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading For one thing, he discovered that many of the passages--a miner would have called them drifts--had been hacked out by hand, with stone hammers and wedges.