used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNLOOKED-FOR DEVELOPMENT.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
any thing at all
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
capacitynounUS /kəˈpæsəti/
capability to perform or produce
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
an occurrence of something
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
criminaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmənəl/
bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
delinquenciesnounUS /dɪˈlɪŋkwənsiz/
plural of “delinquency” — nonpayment of a debt when due
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
DEVELOPMENTnounUS /dɪˈveləpmənt/
act of improving by expanding or enlarging or refining
From this reading AN UNLOOKED-FOR DEVELOPMENT.
the act of discovering something
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
distressedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstrest/
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
DunningverbUS /ˈdʌnɪŋ/
inflected form of “dun” — treat cruelly
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
Dyson
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
Dyson's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
industrynounUS /ˈɪndəstri/
the people or companies engaged in a particular kind of commercial enterprise
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
infinitelyadverbUS /ˈɪnfənətli/
without bounds
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
kinsman's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
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 He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
Melray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
and nothing more
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
paternaladjectiveUS /pəˈtɜːrnəl/
belonging to or inherited from one's father
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
prolongedadjectiveUS /prəˈlɔːŋd/
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
revelationsnounUS /ˌrevəˈleɪʃənz/
plural of “revelation” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
Richard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
only a very short time before
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
push forcefully
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
UNLOOKED-FORadjective
not anticipated
From this reading AN UNLOOKED-FOR DEVELOPMENT.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading That Robert Melray was infinitely distressed by the revelations of his kinsman's delinquencies we have had his own word for.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To James Melray, as Robert admitted, far more than to himself, must the discovery, thrust upon him by Dunning, have come as a shock--one, indeed, in his case from which he would never have wholly recovered had his life been prolonged for years.
wrongdoingnounUS /ˈrɔːŋduːɪŋ/
departure from what is ethically acceptable
From this reading Richard Dyson's wrongdoing was of a character so extreme that not to have taken some kind of notice of it would have seemed to Robert Melray not merely weak, but criminal.
a late time of life
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He had been so much away from England that for a number of years he had seen scarcely anything of Dyson, but he knew that his brother had always had a high opinion of the young man's industry and business capacity, and that from the time of the elder Dyson's death he had stood in a sort of paternal relation to him.
