used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
gratingnounUS /ˈɡreɪtɪŋ/
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Supposing I stay here?” he reflected.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Supposing I stay here?” he reflected.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/
being on the outside or further from a center
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
outstretchedadjectiveUS /aʊtˈstretʃt/
fully extended especially in length
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
possibilitiesnounUS /ˌpɑːsəˈbɪlətiz/
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
primitiveadjectiveUS /ˈprɪmətɪv/
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading “Supposing I stay here?” he reflected.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Supposing I stay here?” he reflected.
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
stove-pipe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
SupposingverbUS /səˈpoʊzɪŋ/
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading “Supposing I stay here?” he reflected.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
in the direction of
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading And then his thoughts turned to less material things.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
precisely as stated
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
warmthnounUS /wɔːrmθ/
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
in or at the place that
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading He began to dream, while the smoke of his pipe drifted up towards the little grating where the stove-pipe met the outer air.
which person or people
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He sat with knees spread about the stove, his body leaning forward, his hands outstretched to the warmth, a very simple and primitive man, a man who could dream dreams.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading A whole world of strange possibilities opened before him.
