used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
a suite of rooms usually on one floor of an apartment house
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
blendedadjectiveUS /ˈblendɪd/
combined or mixed together so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
put or send forth
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
downwardsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnwərdz/
spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
divisible by two
From this reading Even the piazza outside was quiet.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
pathetically lacking in force or effectiveness
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
immediately past
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
moannounUS /moʊn/
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Even the piazza outside was quiet.
piazzanounUS /piˈæzə/
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading Even the piazza outside was quiet.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Even the piazza outside was quiet.
regainedverbUS /riˈɡeɪnd/
past form of “regain” — get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
retreatednounUS /riˈtriːtəd/
people who have retreated
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
RomanounUS /ˈroʊmɑː/
a member of a people with dark skin and hair who speak Romany and who traditionally live by seasonal work and fortunetelling
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
Rossi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Everything about her, Rossi, herself, the room, the lamp on the table and the shadows cast by it, had mingled and blended, and gone out in a complete obscurity.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
in or at that place or location
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
VIIInoun
the cardinal number that is the sum of seven and one
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
at the time that
From this reading VIII When Roma regained consciousness, there was not a sound in the apartment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a feeble moan, interrupted by a faint cry, she had slowly retreated before him, and then fallen face downwards.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Before his last words were spoken Roma had ceased to hear.
