used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DISCOVERY Olwen was very busy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
anticipatedadjectiveUS /ænˈtɪsəpeɪtɪd/
expected hopefully
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading A DISCOVERY Olwen was very busy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
classificationnounUS /ˌklæsəfəˈkeɪʃən/
the act of distributing things into classes or categories of the same type
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
dintnounUS /dɪnt/
interchangeable with “means” in the expression “by means of”
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
the act of discovering something
From this reading A DISCOVERY Olwen was very busy.
separated into parts or pieces
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
remove the dust from
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
divisible by two
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
fortnightnounUS /ˈfɔːrtnaɪt/
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
haphazardadjectiveUS /hæpˈhæzərd/
dependent upon or characterized by chance
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
huntedadjectiveUS /ˈhʌntəd/
reflecting the fear or terror of one who is hunted
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
laboriousadjectiveUS /ləˈbɔːriəs/
characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
immediately past
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
a room where books are kept
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
newspapersnounUS /ˈnuːzpeɪpərz/
plural of “newspaper” — a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
not any; not one
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
Olwen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A DISCOVERY Olwen was very busy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
and nothing more
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
rowsnounUS /roʊz/
plural of “row” — an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
setsnounUS /sets/
plural of “set” — a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
shelvesnounUS /ʃelvz/
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
shieldedadjectiveUS /ˈʃiːldɪd/
(used especially of machinery) protected by a shield to prevent injury
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
snatchedverbUS /snætʃt/
past form of “snatch” — to grasp hastily or eagerly
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
make steady
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
not in physical motion
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
thenceadverbUS /ðens/
from that place or that time
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
push forcefully
From this reading The books seemed to have been snatched from their places, thrown in a pile on the floor, and taken thence and thrust into shelves quite haphazard.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For the last fortnight she had devoted herself to the library, and it had been a far more laborious business than she had anticipated.
precisely as stated
From this reading A DISCOVERY Olwen was very busy.
volumesnounUS /ˈvɑːljuːmz/
plural of “volume” — the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A DISCOVERY Olwen was very busy.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Not only was there no classification, but even the volumes of the different sets were divided, and had to be hunted for.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading She had, by dint of steady work, made considerable progress, though still there were rows of books lying on the ground, carefully shielded from dust by newspapers.
