used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
abstractverbUS /æbˈstrækt/
consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
charwomannounUS /ˈtʃɑːrwʊmən/
a human female employed to do housework
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
intentionally conceived
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
DIARYnounUS /ˈdaɪəri/
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
disappearancenounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
easy-chair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
start firing a weapon
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
focusingnounUS /ˈfoʊkəsɪŋ/
the concentration of attention or energy on something
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
for a limitless time
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
the act of departing
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
LondonernounUS /ˈlʌndənər/
a native or resident of London
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
for more time
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
manhoodnounUS /ˈmænhʊd/
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
not any; not one
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
be seated
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
stareverbUS /ster/
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
stifledadjectiveUS /ˈstaɪfəld/
held in check with difficulty
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
torrentnounUS /ˈtɔːrənt/
a heavy rain
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading An old Londoner now, he no longer heard the roar, nor stifled at the smoke of that torrent that goes up forever.
vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/
in a vague way
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
VioletnounUS /ˈvaɪəlɪt/
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading He wished to sit in his easy-chair, stare, and be vaguely conscious of the coming and going of his charwoman.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He could have sat over his fire in a sort of abstract state, without thought, hope, or care, for days.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading THE DIARY For some time after this disappearance of Violet, David needed the focusing of all his manhood to set himself to work.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading His feeling was that nothing is worth while.
