used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
AndrewnounUS /ˈændruː/
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
cavernnounUS /ˈkæv.ərn/
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
the act of discovering something
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading FLIGHT.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
formerlyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrmərli/
at a previous time
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
lanternnounUS /ˈlæntərn/
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
legendnounUS /ˈledʒənd/
a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
set afire or burning
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
on one occasion
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
outletnounUS /ˈaʊtlet/
a place of business for retailing goods
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
pastor'snounUS /ˈpæstərz/
possessive form of “pastor” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
sea-shore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
in the near future
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
vaultnounUS /vɒlt/
An arched structure of masonry forming a ceiling, or a secure subterranean storage room.
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There used to be a legend to the effect that a great cavern existed under this vault which had an outlet to the sea-shore, and to which there was formerly an entrance from this place.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE next day my father took Andrew and myself once more into the vault—this time by the secret passage which led from the pastor's room in the tower.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We had a lantern with us, which we lighted as soon as we had shut ourselves in, for the lower passage and the staircase were quite dark.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
a late time of life
From this reading "I made a discovery in this place some years since, which I think may be of great service to us, if worse comes to worst," said my father.
