used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
abruptadjectiveUS /əˈbrʌpt/
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
ain't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
bewildermentnounUS /bɪˈwɪldərmənt/
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
confrontedverbUS /kənˈfrʌntəd/
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
dazedadjectiveUS /deɪzd/
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
disintegrationnounUS /dɪˌsɪntəˈɡreɪʃən/
in a decomposed state
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
dissolvingnounUS /dɪˈzɔːlvɪŋ/
the process of going into solution
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
one or the other of two
From this reading "Not one of the servants, either."
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He stepped forward.
fragmentsnounUS /ˈfræɡmənts/
plural of “fragment” — a piece broken off or cut off of something else
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
graspingnounUS /ˈɡræspɪŋ/
understanding with difficulty
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
haltverbUS /hɔːlt/
cause to stop
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
maskverbUS /mæsk/
hide under a false appearance
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
motornounUS /ˈmoʊtər/
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
muzzlenounUS /ˈmʌzəl/
the open circular discharging end of a gun
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not one of the servants, either."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Not one of the servants, either."
and nothing more
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
phantasmagoricadjective
characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
railroad-crossing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
sand-coloured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "Not one of the servants, either."
Sevier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
shakenadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪkən/
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
spelledverbUS /speld/
past form of “spell” — orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
stareverbUS /ster/
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He stepped forward.
stoppagenounUS /ˈstɑːpɪdʒ/
the state of inactivity following an interruption
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
in a swift manner
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
tracingnounUS /ˈtreɪsɪŋ/
the act of drawing a plan or diagram or outline
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
the act of testing something
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The man of the sand-coloured hair spoke: "It ain't him," he said in a low voice.
voicelessly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He awoke as he had done on the night of the trial, with the abrupt halt of his motor at the railroad-crossing--awoke instantly to knowledge of himself, but dazed and shaken, grasping at phantasmagoric fragments that were swiftly dissolving in his brain, in a bewilderment in which he could only stare voicelessly at the black mask that confronted him, at the round muzzle that spelled danger.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE PRICE With the sudden disintegration of the mental picture he had been tracing, and the instant stoppage of the tense action of mind and body, Harry Sevier came to himself.
