used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
Archie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
attemptingverbUS /əˈtemptɪŋ/
-ing form of “attempt” — make an effort or attempt
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
befallenverbUS /bəˈfɑːlən/
inflected form of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
belittleverbUS /bɪˈlɪtəl/
cause to seem less serious; play down
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
Cameron
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
disclosurenounUS /dɪˈskloʊʒər/
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
Donald
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
Dr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
at any time
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
Ewen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
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 Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
lapseverbUS /læps/
pass into a specified state or condition
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
minimiseverb
represent as less significant or important
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
mischancenoun
an unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
and nothing more
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
a male human offspring
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
in the near future
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
imagine to be the case or true or probable
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
express in words
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
(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 Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
which person or people
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Thinking it over afterwards, Ewen knew why it had been such a comfort to tell Archie; it was that Dr. Cameron seemed to understand so well what he had suffered that he never tried to belittle the cause of it.
William
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
willinglyadverbUS /ˈwɪlɪŋli/
in a willing manner
From this reading Only how could Ewen at any stage have imagined that Donald, if he heard of his lapse, would ever believe that he had made a disclosure willingly?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Instead of attempting to minimise this he said that he would have felt exactly the same had such a terrible mischance befallen him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I blame you for that, my poor Ewen,” he said, shaking his head.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You must surely have known that he would as soon suspect me as you, who have been like an elder son to him, who so nearly threw away your life for him at Fort William.
