used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
afloatadjectiveUS /əˈfloʊt/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
anglenounUS /ˈæŋɡəl/
the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
anteroomnoun
a large entrance or reception room or area
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
bleedingnounUS /ˈbliːdɪŋ/
the flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
bonenounUS /boʊn/
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
bulletnounUS /ˈbʊlət/
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
CHANCELLORnounUS /ˈtʃænsələr/
the British cabinet minister responsible for finance
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
fataladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtəl/
bringing death
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
FortunatelyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by good fortune
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
happeningsnounUS /ˈhæpənɪŋz/
plural of “happening” — an event that happens
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
hintedverbUS /ˈhɪntəd/
past form of “hint” — drop a hint; intimate by a hint
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
inflictedverbUS /ˌɪnˈflɪktɪd/
past form of “inflict” — impose something unpleasant
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
inflictingverbUS /ˌɪnˈflɪktɪŋ/
-ing form of “inflict” — impose something unpleasant
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
King'snounUS /kɪŋz/
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
set down according to a plan
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
MortimernounUS /ˈmɔːrtɪmər/
English nobleman who deposed Edward II and was executed by Edward III (1287-1330)
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
of an obscure nature
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
necessarilyadverbUS /ˌnesəˈserəli/
in an essential manner
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
information about recent and important events
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
parietaladjectiveUS /pərˈaɪətəl/
of or relating to or associated with the parietal bones in the cranium
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
physician'snounUS /fəˈzɪʃənz/
possessive form of “physician” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
Ralph
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
rumorsnounUS /ˈruːmərz/
plural of “rumor” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
senselessadjectiveUS /ˈsensləs/
not marked by the use of reason
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
StanleynounUS /ˈstænli/
United States inventor who built a steam-powered automobile (1849-1918)
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
in a strange manner
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Fortunately the bullet had struck at a sharp angle and had glanced from the parietal bone, inflicting a severe but not necessarily fatal wound.
SwordsnounUS /sɔːrdz/
plural of “sword” — a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading There were various vague rumors afloat concerning these events; rumors that hinted at an attempt upon the life of the King.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE NEW CHANCELLOR These were days of great news happenings at the palace.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
which person or people
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It had been a narrow escape for Captain Swords, who would be laid up for some time under the palace physician’s care.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading An officer of the Guard, Captain Stanley Mortimer, had strangely disappeared and another officer of the Guard, Captain Ralph Swords, had been discovered, in the anteroom of the King’s chamber, senseless and bleeding from a mysterious bullet wound in the head, inflicted upon him while on guard duty.
