used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
absentlyadverb
in an absentminded or preoccupied manner
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
plural of “article” — nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
Bank'snounUS /bæŋks/
possessive form of “bank” — sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
completely unclothed
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
buttonsnounUS /ˈbʌtənz/
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
calculatornounUS /ˈkælkjəleɪtər/
an expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines)
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
canenounUS /keɪn/
a stick that people can lean on to help them walk
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
coarseadjectiveUS /kɔːrs/
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
cookingnounUS /ˈkʊkɪŋ/
the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
coolingnounUS /ˈkuːlɪŋ/
the process of becoming cooler; a falling temperature
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
apart from; not including
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
FTL
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
helmetnounUS /ˈhelmət/
armor plate that protects the head
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
ideographs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
irrelevantadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈreləvənt/
having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
Jodrell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
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 McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
languagesnounUS /ˈlæŋɡwədʒəz/
plural of “language” — a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
litternounUS /ˈlɪtər/
the offspring at one birth of a multiparous mammal
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
McCray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
and nothing more
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
OrientaladjectiveUS /ˌɔːriˈentəl/
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
by chance
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
compacted by ironing
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
past form of “print” — put into print
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
screennounUS /skriːn/
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
suit'snounUS /suːts/
possessive form of “suit” — a set of garments (usually including a jacket and trousers or skirt) for outerwear all of the same fabric and color
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
textnounUS /tekst/
the words of something written
From this reading It was printed on coarse paper, and the text was in ideographs, Chinese, perhaps; he did not know Oriental languages.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
unitsnounUS /ˈjuːnəts/
plural of “unit” — any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange
From this reading He slipped off the helmet absently and pressed the buttons that turned off the suit's cooling units, looking around the chamber.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
utensilsnounUS /juːˈtensəlz/
plural of “utensil” — an implement for practical use (especially in a household)
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading McCray knew that the _Jodrell Bank_ was not the only FTL vessel in this volume of space.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was bare except for a litter of irrelevant human articles--much like the one in which he himself had first appeared, except that the articles were not _Jodrell Bank's_.
wovenadjectiveUS /ˈwoʊvən/
made or constructed by interlacing threads or strips of material or other elements into a whole
From this reading A woven cane screen, some cooking utensils, a machine like a desk calculator, some books--he picked up one of the books and glanced at it.
