used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He developed a faculty for leading men.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
bathnounUS /bæθ/
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
a youthful male person
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
cobwebsnounUS /ˈkɑːbwebz/
plural of “cobweb” — a fabric so delicate and transparent as to resemble a web of a spider
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
developedadjectiveUS /dɪˈveləpt/
being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful
From this reading He developed a faculty for leading men.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
facultynounUS /ˈfækəlti/
one of the inherent cognitive or perceptual powers of the mind
From this reading He developed a faculty for leading men.
an act that fails
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He developed a faculty for leading men.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading He developed a faculty for leading men.
engage in
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
the force of workers available
From this reading He developed a faculty for leading men.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
normaladjectiveUS /ˈnɔːrməl/
conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm; not abnormal
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
Orielnoun
a projecting bay window corbeled or cantilevered out from a wall
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
determined
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
rightlyadverbUS /ˈraɪtli/
with honesty
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
temperedadjectiveUS /ˈtempərd/
made hard or flexible or resilient especially by heat treatment
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
thickeningadjectiveUS /ˈθɪkənɪŋ/
accumulating and becoming more intense
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
unphenomenal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading The boy, normal enough, quite unphenomenal, was growing strong by virtue of his one strong quality: he did what he resolved to do.
vitaladjectiveUS /ˈvaɪtəl/
urgently needed; absolutely necessary
From this reading For such a character to make a vital decision rightly is a career.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
in or at the place that
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet more goes to explain what he was and what he did.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The cold bath of failure, the fire of success had tempered the young steel of him to an excellent quality; bright and sharp, it cut cobwebs in the Oriel mine where cobwebs had been thickening for months.
