used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
anew
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
Appleby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to rise.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
the lower side of anything
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
coughverbUS /kɑːf/
exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
coughingnounUS /ˈkɑːfɪŋ/
a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
curdledadjective
transformed from a liquid into a soft semisolid or solid mass
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
half-consciousness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
for more time
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had reached the bottom now.
a large body of water constituting a principal part of the hydrosphere
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He had reached the bottom now.
move upward
From this reading He began to rise.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
SethnounUS /seθ/
(Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
stifledadjectiveUS /ˈstaɪfəld/
held in check with difficulty
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For longer ages, and more black, more terrible, he fought on the bottom of the ocean of life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He began to rise.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
precisely as stated
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His coughing was shaking him into a half-consciousness, and very dimly he heard her cough, too.
in or at the place that
From this reading Out of a black curdled ocean where for ages he had struggled and stifled, Seth Appleby raised his head for an instant, and sank again.
