andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/
weapons considered collectively
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/
in a state of sleep
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
Beffroi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
bellnounUS /bel/
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
caughtverbUS /kɑːt/
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
Chauvelin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
citynounUS /ˈsɪti/
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
dulladjectiveUS /dʌl/
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading It sounded like the tocsin, dull and muffled.
edgedadjectiveUS /edʒd/
having a specified kind of border or edge
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
encircledadjectiveUS /ɪnˈsɜːrkəld/
confined on all sides
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/
divisible by two
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
extendedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈstendəd/
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
filmyadjective
so thin as to transmit light
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
fortsnounUS /fɔːrts/
plural of “fort” — a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
frowningadjectiveUS /ˈfraʊnɪŋ/
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
gazenounUS /ɡeɪz/
a long fixed look
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
gazedverbUS /ɡeɪzd/
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
handnounUS /hænd/
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
hournounUS /ˈaʊər/
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
inviteverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪt/
increase the likelihood of
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It sounded like the tocsin, dull and muffled.
linesnounUS /laɪnz/
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
MargueritenounUS /ˌmɑːrɡərˈiːt/
tall leafy-stemmed Eurasian perennial with white flowers; widely naturalized; often placed in genus Chrysanthemum
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
moonnounUS /muːn/
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
muffledadjectiveUS /ˈmʌfəld/
being or made softer or less loud or clear
From this reading It sounded like the tocsin, dull and muffled.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
nightnounUS /naɪt/
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
rightadverbUS /raɪt/
precisely, exactly
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
seemedverbUS /siːmd/
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
sightnounUS /saɪt/
an instance of visual perception
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
silvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
sinkingnounUS /ˈsɪŋkɪŋ/
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
soundedverbUS /ˈsaʊndɪd/
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading It sounded like the tocsin, dull and muffled.
speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
spiresnounUS /spaɪrz/
plural of “spire” — a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
stonyadjectiveUS /ˈstoʊni/
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
tocsinnoun
the sound of an alarm (usually a bell)
From this reading It sounded like the tocsin, dull and muffled.
tollingverbUS /ˈtoʊlɪŋ/
-ing form of “toll” — ring slowly
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/
in the direction of
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
towersnounUS /ˈtaʊərz/
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
townnounUS /taʊn/
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
unconsciousadjectiveUS /ˌʌnˈkɑːnʃəs/
not conscious; lacking awareness and the capacity for sensory perception as if asleep or dead
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
westnounUS /west/
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She was quite unconscious what hour of the night it might be, but it must have been late, for the little town, encircled by the stony arms of its forts, seemed asleep.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading To the right Marguerite caught sight of the frowning Beffroi, which even as she gazed out began tolling its heavy bell.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading The moon, now slowly sinking in the west, edged the towers and spires with filmy lines of silver.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Chauvelin, without speaking, extended his hand out towards the city as if to invite Marguerite to gaze upon it.
