used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
anew
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He held a hand close to his eyes, but he could see nothing.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading He held a hand close to his eyes, but he could see nothing.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
put on clothes
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He held a hand close to his eyes, but he could see nothing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He held a hand close to his eyes, but he could see nothing.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
jotnounUS /dʒɑːt/
a brief (and hurriedly handwritten) note
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
a particular point in time
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
pitchyadjective
of the blackest black; similar to the color of jet or coal
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
rustleverbUS /ˈrʌsəl/
make a dry crackling sound
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He held a hand close to his eyes, but he could see nothing.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
strangenessnounUS /ˈstreɪndʒnəs/
unusualness as a consequence of not being well known
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading The strangeness of the situation had shut down on him again, and he was thinking of nothing else for the moment.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
precisely as stated
From this reading In the dead stillness of the place he could hear the quick breathing of his companion; the rustle of her dress seemed near to him and then to be very far off.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE VOICE IN THE DARKNESS David was silent for some little time.
be the cause or source of
From this reading Nor did the pitchy darkness yield a jot to his now accustomed eyes.
