used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
a proposal for an appropriate course of action
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Was ever a man in such a damnable situation before?”
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
Bylant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “My God!” exclaimed Bylant.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
damnableadjective
deserving a curse
From this reading “Was ever a man in such a damnable situation before?”
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
disburdenverb
take the burden off; remove the burden from
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
Elsie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
Elsie's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
at any time
From this reading “Was ever a man in such a damnable situation before?”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “My God!” exclaimed Bylant.
existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
fataladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtəl/
bringing death
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
many times at short intervals
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
the state of being friends (or friendly)
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “My God!” exclaimed Bylant.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
hystericaladjectiveUS /hɪˈsterɪkəl/
characterized by or arising from psychoneurotic hysteria
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
engage in
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Was ever a man in such a damnable situation before?”
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My God!” exclaimed Bylant.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
practicallyadverbUS /ˈpræktɪkli/
almost; nearly
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
that is looked for
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Was ever a man in such a damnable situation before?”
summonedverbUS /ˈsʌmənd/
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He knew the situation could not have escaped her, and had felt that if he did not disburden himself he should become hysterical and make some fatal mistake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
whitheradverbUS /ˈwɪðər/
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading He was in Elsie’s study, whither she had summoned him after his return to the house; she frequently sought his advice, and a deep and understanding friendship existed between them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But it gives you your great chance,” said Elsie practically.
