used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
acquaintancesnounUS /əˈkweɪntənsɪz/
plural of “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
from one side of something to the other
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
beingsnounUS /ˈbiːɪŋz/
plural of “being” — the state or fact of existing
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
absence of light or illumination
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
give a description of
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
drawlnounUS /drɔːl/
a slow speech pattern with prolonged vowels
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
Dunbar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
enigmaticallyadverb
in a cryptic manner
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
exploratoryadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsplɔːrətɔːri/
serving in or intended for exploration or discovery
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
faintlyadverbUS /ˈfeɪntli/
to a faint degree or weakly perceived
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
set up or found
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
glitteredverbUS /ˈɡlɪtərd/
past form of “glitter” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
(often followed by “to”) having a preference, disposition, or tendency
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
invisibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈvɪzəbəl/
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
jet-points
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
laboratorynounUS /ˈlæbrətɔːri/
a workplace for the conduct of scientific research
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
immediately past
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
leanverbUS /liːn/
to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
moustached
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
immediately following in time or order
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
perchedverbUS /pɜːrtʃt/
past form of “perch” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
quizzicaladjectiveUS /ˈkwɪzəkəl/
playfully vexing (especially by ridicule)
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
raspedverbUS /ræspt/
past form of “rasp” — scrape with a rasp
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
Ronny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
sardonicadjectiveUS /sɑːrˈdɑːnɪk/
disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
saturnineadjective
bitter or scornful
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading His little jet-points of eyes, as he stared across at the next laboratory table, glittered enigmatically.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
in or at that place or location
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
tousledadjective
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading Philip Dunbar ran a lean exploratory hand through his tousled long black hair.
trimlyadverb
in a trim manner
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
webnounUS /web/
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, Ronny," he inquired, in a drawl that rasped, "found it at last?"
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading There in the sky was a vast web and perched on it were invisible beings--what did it all mean?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There was a sardonic, faintly quizzical look in his dark, trimly moustached face, which acquaintances were inclined to describe as "handsome, but saturnine."
