Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

desiring or striving for recognition or advancement

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

present

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

someone who writes an account of a person's life

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

get temporarily

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

plural of “century” — a period of 100 years

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading DEDICATORY EPISTLE.

conscientiousness in paying proper attention to a task; giving the degree of care required in a given situation

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

someone who writes plays

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

make clear and (more) comprehensible

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

plural of “employ” — the state of being employed or having a job

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

a specially long, formal letter

From this reading DEDICATORY EPISTLE.

a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

considered likely or probable to happen or arrive

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

third-person singular of “extend” — extend in scope or range or area

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

advanced in complexity or elaboration

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

a person who is an authority on history and who studies it and writes about it

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

the aggregate of past events

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

clarify by giving an example of

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

characterized by or given to yielding to the wishes of someone

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

go away from a place

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

the force of workers available

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

being nothing more than specified

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

many times at short intervals

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

the place where something begins, where it springs into being

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

above and across; more than

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

third-person singular of “owe” — be obliged to pay or repay

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

plural of “record” — anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

a relationship between two lovers

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

only a very short time before

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

third-person singular of “select” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

serve a purpose, role, or function

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

being or characteristic of a single thing or person

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

a detailed critical inspection

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

an idea that is suggested

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

plural of “truth” — a fact that has been verified

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

without question

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

past form of “urge” — force or impel in an indicated direction

From this reading Long since, you urged me to attempt a fiction which might borrow its characters from our own Records, and serve to illustrate some of those truths which History is too often compelled to leave to the Tale-teller, the Dramatist, and the Poet.

at the time that

From this reading Unquestionably, Fiction, when aspiring to something higher than mere romance, does not pervert, but elucidate Facts.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

which person or people

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

belonging to which person

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

in the company of; together with

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

in a worthy manner; with worthiness

From this reading He who employs it worthily must, like a biographer, study the time and the characters he selects, with a minute and earnest diligence which the general historian, whose range extends over centuries, can scarcely be expected to bestow upon the things and the men of a single epoch.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I dedicate to you, my indulgent Critic and long-tried Friend, the work which owes its origin to your suggestion.