used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
speak to
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The lawyer looked down at the envelope with great surprise.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
lacking funds
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
Burtons
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
rid of obstructions
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
a beverage consisting of an infusion of ground coffee beans
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
copiedverbUS /ˈkɑːpid/
inflected form of “copy” — copy down as is
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
copybooknoun
a book containing models of good penmanship; used in teaching penmanship
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The lawyer looked down at the envelope with great surprise.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
envelopenounUS /ˈenvəloʊp/
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
a social unit living together
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
set up or found
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The lawyer looked down at the envelope with great surprise.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
headedadjectiveUS /ˈhedəd/
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
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 Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading The lawyer looked down at the envelope with great surprise.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The lawyer looked down at the envelope with great surprise.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
a form of address for a man
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
notepapernoun
writing paper intended for writing short notes or letters
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
obscureverbUS /əbsˈkjʊr/
make less visible or unclear
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
the capital and largest city of France; and international center of culture and commerce
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
the force of policemen and officers
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
PrefecturenounUS /ˈpriːfektʃər/
the district administered by a prefect (as in France or Japan or the Roman Empire)
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
cut with a saw
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
sealverbUS /siːl/
make tight; secure against leakage
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
stampverbUS /stæmp/
walk heavily
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
stayingverbUS /ˈsteɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
StephensnounUS /ˈstiːvənz/
plural of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The lawyer looked down at the envelope with great surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He broke the seal and saw that the sheet of notepaper he took from the envelope was headed "Prefecture de Police."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
(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 With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
in or at the place that
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
which person or people
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Mr. Stephens' morning coffee there appeared an envelope bearing his name and a French stamp, as well of course as the address of the obscure little hotel where the Burtons had found him a room.
the act of creating written works
From this reading Who in Paris could be writing to him--who, for the matter of that, knew where he was staying, apart from his own family and his London office?
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading The address was written in a round, copybook hand, and it was clear his name must have been copied out of an English law list.
