used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
anew
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
barefootedadjective
without shoes
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
earlier than; in front of
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
beltnounUS /belt/
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
relating to or characteristic of Christianity
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
clothedadjectiveUS /kloʊðd/
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
courtesynounUS /ˈkɜːrtəsi/
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
DwarfnounUS /dwɔːrf/
a person who is markedly small
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
divisible by two
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
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 A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
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 He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
come together
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
mercifuladjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrsɪfəl/
showing or giving mercy
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
prayingverbUS /ˈpreɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
reverenceverbUS /ˈrevərəns/
regard with feelings of respect and reverence; consider hallowed or exalted or be in awe of
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
saluteverbUS /səˈluːt/
propose a toast to
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
sinnernounUS /ˈsɪnər/
a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
term of address for a man
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
soberadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊbər/
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading So the two, the Knight and the Lady, rode on, the Dwarf following as before.
undertakeverbUS /ˈʌndərteɪk/
enter upon an activity or enterprise
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
precisely as stated
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading After a while they chanced to meet an old man by the road.
a Caucasian
From this reading He was clothed in black and barefooted, and he had a long white beard, and a book was hanging from his belt.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A very wise old man he seemed, sober and even somewhat sad, and as he went along he seemed to be praying; and now and again he would beat upon his breast, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He made a humble reverence to the Knight, and the Knight in his courtesy made his salute, and said: “Sir, do you know of any adventure that a Christian man may undertake?”
