used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes,” the girl answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “We must step back to the passage-way,” he said.
bearingsnounUS /ˈberɪŋz/
plural of “bearing” — relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
boyhoodnounUS /ˈbɔɪhʊd/
the childhood of a boy
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
travel across or pass over
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
recognizable; marked
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
devicenounUS /dɪˈvaɪs/
an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
flounderingverbUS /ˈflaʊndərɪŋ/
-ing form of “flounder” — walk with great difficulty
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
a young female
From this reading “Yes,” the girl answered.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
haphazardadjectiveUS /hæpˈhæzərd/
dependent upon or characterized by chance
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “We must step back to the passage-way,” he said.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
passage-way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We must step back to the passage-way,” he said.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
recoursenounUS /ˈriːkɔːrs/
act of turning to for assistance
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We must step back to the passage-way,” he said.
SaxenounUS /sæks/
a French marshal who distinguished himself in the War of the Austrian Succession (1696-1750)
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
situationsnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃənz/
plural of “situation” — the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
in the near future
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading As soon as Margaret moved and drew a little away from him, he spoke.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “We must step back to the passage-way,” he said.
carry out
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We must step back to the passage-way,” he said.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE EVENTS OF A NIGHT Since the large chamber was in utter darkness, Saxe decided on recourse to a device which had served him well in similar situations of his boyhood among the mountains.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “From it, I can take our bearings, so that we can cross the place without floundering about haphazard in the dark.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes,” the girl answered.
