used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
ariseverbUS /ərˈaɪz/
come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
aroused or activated
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
blanketsnounUS /ˈblæŋkəts/
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
cracklingnounUS /ˈkræklɪŋ/
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
well in the past; former
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
dulyadverbUS /ˈduːli/
in accordance with what is appropriate or suitable for the circumstances
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
dustingverbUS /ˈdʌstɪŋ/
-ing form of “dust” — remove the dust from
From this reading Maids were dusting and sweeping.
EARLYadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
eiderdownnoun
a soft quilt usually filled with the down of the eider
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
fireplacesnounUS /ˈfaɪərpleɪsəz/
plural of “fireplace” — an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
kerosenenounUS /ˈkerəsiːn/
a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel in lamps and heaters
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
provided with artificial light
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
MaidsnounUS /meɪdz/
plural of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading Maids were dusting and sweeping.
merrilyadverbUS /ˈmerəli/
in a joyous manner
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
MistakingnounUS /mɪˈsteɪkɪŋ/
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
mitigateverbUS /ˈmɪtəɡeɪt/
lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
quiltnounUS /kwɪlt/
bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
on the contrary
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
Redmond
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
ritenounUS /raɪt/
an established ceremony prescribed by a religion
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
for a short time
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
without speaking
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
sweepingadjectiveUS /ˈswiːpɪŋ/
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading Maids were dusting and sweeping.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mistaking the rite for a signal to arise, I did so; and shortly descended.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading As I was now beneath two blankets and an eiderdown quilt, and my nose was cold, I was duly grateful.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
which person or people
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading THE EARLY BIRD I was awakened rather early by Redmond, who silently entered the room, lit a kerosene stove, closed the windows, and departed.
but in spite of that
From this reading The three fireplaces were crackling away merrily, but they had done little to mitigate the atmosphere as yet.
