used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
the two together, not just one
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
breatheverbUS /briːð/
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
collapsingverbUS /kəˈlæpsɪŋ/
-ing form of “collapse” — break down, literally or metaphorically
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
intentionally conceived
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
COWARDnounUS /ˈkaʊərd/
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
curtainsnounUS /ˈkɜːrtənz/
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
Dorothy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
leanverbUS /liːn/
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
and nothing more
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
pitchnounUS /pɪtʃ/
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
recessverbUS /rɪˈses/
put into a recess
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
only a very short time before
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
shineverbUS /ʃaɪn/
be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
threadsnounUS /θredz/
informal terms for clothing
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Only in one place did the lights of the room shine through.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading But for some seconds Dorothy was unconscious both of the darkness and the light; she was conscious of nothing.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She scarcely dared to breathe; she did not dare to move; though she trembled so that she had to lean against the side of the recess to keep herself from collapsing in a heap upon the floor.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE COWARD The curtains were so thick, and were drawn so close, that in the recess it was nearly pitch dark.
in or at the place that
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading That was where the stuff had worn so thin that only a few threads remained.
