used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
in addition
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
arc-lights
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
for the reason that
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
brightnessnounUS /ˈbraɪtnəs/
the location of a visual perception along a continuum from black to white
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
a low-lying region in central France
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
handfulnounUS /ˈhændfʊl/
a small number or amount
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
peacefuladjectiveUS /ˈpiːsfəl/
not disturbed by strife or turmoil or war
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
recentadjectiveUS /ˈriːsənt/
new
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
regularlyadverbUS /ˈreɡjələrli/
in a regular manner
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
revealsverbUS /rɪˈviːlz/
third-person singular of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
spacedadjectiveUS /speɪst/
spaced apart
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
Stacey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
steppingverbUS /ˈstepɪŋ/
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He sighed because he felt himself stepping back into the old shadow from the rare brightness of his recent mood.
stingilyadverb
in a stingy manner
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
tumultuousadjectiveUS /ˌtuːˈmʌltʃuːəs/
characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination
From this reading It occurred to him that life was like that, some one had said,—a handful of peaceful islands scattered stingily over a tumultuous sea.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Stacey glanced up and down the street, but it lay quiet and empty in the brightness of its regularly spaced arc-lights.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The noise came from the direction of the centre of town, and as this was also the direction of his hotel he sighed and set off toward it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Which figure reveals how little he knew himself—what he was and what he wanted.
