used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
aimlesslyadverbUS /ˈeɪmləsli/
without aim; in an aimless manner
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
appreciatingverbUS /əˈpriːʃieɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “appreciate” — recognize with gratitude; be grateful for
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
assistingverbUS /əˈsɪstɪŋ/
-ing form of “assist” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
congregationnounUS /ˌkɑːŋɡrəˈɡeɪʃən/
a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
coolestadjectiveUS /ˈkuːləst/
superlative of “cool” — neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading The people of Sanyo knew it for the coolest of retreats.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
dispelledverbUS /dɪˈspeld/
inflected form of “dispel” — force to go away; used both with concrete and metaphoric meanings
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
drowsyadjectiveUS /ˈdraʊzi/
half asleep
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
one or the other of two
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The people of Sanyo knew it for the coolest of retreats.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
innocentlyadverbUS /ˈɪnəsəntli/
in a not unlawful manner
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
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 The people of Sanyo knew it for the coolest of retreats.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
mellifluousadjective
pleasing to the ear
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
not any; not one
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
pastornounUS /ˈpæstər/
a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
peacefulnessnounUS /ˈpiːsfəlnəs/
a state that is calm and tranquil
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The people of Sanyo knew it for the coolest of retreats.
preachernounUS /ˈpriːtʃər/
someone whose occupation is preaching the gospel
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
pretensenounUS /priˈtens/
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
proceedingsnounUS /proʊˈsiːdɪŋz/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
on the contrary
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
retreatsnounUS /riˈtriːts/
plural of “retreat” — (military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading The people of Sanyo knew it for the coolest of retreats.
Sanyo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The people of Sanyo knew it for the coolest of retreats.
sleepyadjectiveUS /ˈsliːpi/
ready to fall asleep
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
styledverbUS /staɪld/
past form of “style” — designate by an identifying term
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading They drifted aimlessly in and out of the church, making no pretense of either understanding or appreciating the proceedings.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The church, if such it could be styled, was well filled.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was a curious congregation, one which, innocently enough, never thought of assisting the pastor.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading IT was drowsy in the little mission church, and the gentle mellifluous voice of the young preacher increased rather than dispelled the sleepy peacefulness.
