used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Presently illumination came to him.
captivesnounUS /ˈkæptɪvz/
plural of “captive” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
capturedverbUS /ˈkæptʃərd/
past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
EPHRAIM
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
a boy or man
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
forecastverbUS /ˈfɔːrkæst/
predict in advance
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
gaitnounUS /ɡeɪt/
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
GermansnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmənz/
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Presently illumination came to him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
illuminationnounUS /ˌɪluːməˈneɪʃən/
a condition of spiritual awareness; divine illumination
From this reading Presently illumination came to him.
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
past form of “march” — march in a procession
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
MEEKadjectiveUS /miːk/
humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
Meek's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
and nothing more
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
ORDEALnounUS /ɔːrˈdiːl/
a severe or trying experience
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
Papuans
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
in the near future
From this reading Presently illumination came to him.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
puzzleverbUS /ˈpʌzəl/
be a mystery or bewildering to
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
realisedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
shamblingnoun
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
shorewards
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
strokingnounUS /ˈstroʊkɪŋ/
a light touch with the hands
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
propel through the air
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
trudgedverbUS /trʌdʒd/
past form of “trudge” — walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For some little time, as he marched shorewards among his fellow captives, he realised merely the fact that he was a prisoner in the hands of the Germans.
whiskersnounUS /ˈwɪskərz/
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
which person or people
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He did not ask himself why he had been captured, or throw his imagination forward in an effort to forecast his fate.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE ORDEAL OF EPHRAIM MEEK Meek’s mind worked slowly.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading With his usual shambling gait he trudged on, glancing now at the Papuans, now at the Germans, and occasionally stroking his thin whiskers in the manner of one who finds the world a great puzzle.
