used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
alenounUS /eɪl/
a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the United States an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
BatesverbUS /beɪts/
third-person singular of “bate” — moderate or restrain; lessen the force of
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
CARETAKERnounUS /ˈkerteɪkər/
a custodian who is hired to take care of something (property or a person)
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
grandfather'snounUS /ˈɡrændfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “grandfather” — the father of your father or mother
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
howlverbUS /haʊl/
emit long loud cries
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
a room where books are kept
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
mournedverbUS /mɔːrnd/
past form of “mourn” — feel sadness
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
not any; not one
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
worried and uneasy
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
sandwichesnounUS /ˈsændwɪtʃɪz/
plural of “sandwich” — two (or more) slices of bread with a filling between them
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
sedatelyadverbUS /sɪˈdeɪtli/
in a sedate manner
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
term of address for a man
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Bates brought in some sandwiches and a bottle of ale at midnight.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
there's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If there’s nothing more, sir—” “That is all, Bates.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
varietynounUS /vərˈaɪəti/
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was restless and in no mood for bed and mourned the lack of variety in my grandfather’s library.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And he went off sedately to his own quarters.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AN AFFAIR WITH THE CARETAKER I read in the library until late, hearing the howl of the wind outside with satisfaction in the warmth and comfort of the great room.
