used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
acquireverbUS /əˈkwaɪər/
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
(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 But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
cadetnounUS /kəˈdet/
a military trainee (as at a military academy)
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
childishadjectiveUS /ˈtʃaɪldɪʃ/
indicating a lack of maturity
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
courtesynounUS /ˈkɜːrtəsi/
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
dimmernounUS /ˈdɪmər/
a rheostat that varies the current through an electric light in order to control the level of illumination
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
DuelnounUS /ˈduːəl/
a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
being one more than seven
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
impressionsnounUS /ˌɪmˈpreʃənz/
plural of “impression” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
includedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkluːdəd/
enclosed in the same envelope or package
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
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 The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
social deportment
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
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 The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
MonknounUS /mʌŋk/
a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
noveltynounUS /ˈnɑːvəlti/
originality by virtue of being refreshingly novel
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
plural of “opinion” — a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
PetersburgnounUS /ˈpiːtərzbərɡ/
a town in southeastern Virginia (south of Richmond); scene of heavy fighting during the American Civil War
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
polishnounUS /ˈpɑːlɪʃ/
the property of being smooth and shiny
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
RecollectionsnounUS /ˌrekəˈlekʃənz/
plural of “recollection” — the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
an educational institution
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
surroundingsnounUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋz/
the environmental condition
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
transformedadjectiveUS /trænˈsfɔːrmd/
given a completely different form or appearance
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I picked up so many new habits and opinions that I was transformed into a cruel, absurd, almost savage creature.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading But we all, myself included, looked upon the soldiers in our service as cattle.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A surface polish of courtesy and society manners I did acquire together with the French language.
a late time of life
From this reading The Duel_ I spent a long time, almost eight years, in the military cadet school at Petersburg, and in the novelty of my surroundings there, many of my childish impressions grew dimmer, though I forgot nothing.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
Zossima's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Duel _(c) Recollections of Father Zossima’s Youth before he became a Monk.
