used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
absentadjectiveUS /ˈæbsənt/
not being in a specified place
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
completely unclothed
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
for the reason that
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
brother-tenant
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
chambersnounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbərz/
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
ClothedadjectiveUS /kloʊðd/
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
comingsnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋz/
plural of “coming” — the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
without stop or interruption
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
differedverbUS /ˈdɪfərd/
past form of “differ” — be different
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
disappearancenounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
employer'snounUS /emˈplɔɪərz/
possessive form of “employer” — a person or firm that employs workers
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
an act that fails
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
a man of refinement
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
goingsnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋz/
plural of “going” — the act of departing
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
grandiloquentlyadverb
in a rhetorically grandiloquent manner
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
Half-Moonnoun
the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
Hiram
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
irregularadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈreɡjələr/
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
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 But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
something that is lost
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
MallownounUS /ˈmæloʊ/
any of various plants of the family Malvaceae
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
Mallow's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
a form of address for a man
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
and nothing more
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
by chance
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
porternounUS /ˈpɔːrtər/
a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
porter'snounUS /ˈpɔːrtərz/
possessive form of “porter” — a person employed to carry luggage and supplies
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
reasoningnounUS /ˈriːzənɪŋ/
thinking that is coherent and logical
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
regularlyadverbUS /ˈreɡjələrli/
in a regular manner
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
precisely, exactly
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
not in physical motion
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
termedverbUS /tɜːrmd/
past form of “term” — name formally or designate with a term
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading For several days he had called regularly at Half-Moon Street, only to be told as regularly that Mr. Mallow was still absent.
Vraik
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
Vraik's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Vraik's reasoning differed from the porter's, perhaps because he knew more than the porter.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was absolutely at a loss to account for his employer's disappearance.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Clothed, and in his right mind, Hiram Vraik sat in the bare room, which he and his brother-tenant grandiloquently termed "The Office."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The porter of the chambers was not alarmed by Mr. Mallow's continued failure to put in an appearance, as that young gentleman was most irregular in his comings and goings.
