Chapter I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

consider a concept without thinking of a specific example; consider abstractly or theoretically

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

of a color similar to that of wood or earth

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

the wood cut from a tree burl or outgrowth; often used decoratively in veneer

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

to a faint degree or weakly perceived

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

set up or found

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

an organism of the kingdom Fungi lacking chlorophyll and feeding on organic matter; ranging from unicellular or multicellular organisms to spore-bearing syncytia

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

in a furtive manner

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

relating to or common to or descriptive of all members of a genus

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

a man of refinement

From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.

the father of your father or mother

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

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 was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

used to form the superlative

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

inflected form of “occur” — come to pass

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.

above and across; more than

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

by chance

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

restricted to something

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

not often

From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.

on the contrary

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

express in words

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

the place where some action occurs

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

plural of “scream” — sharp piercing cry

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Burl had rarely or never thought of the old gentleman since.

move hurridly

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

a following of one thing after another in time

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

the environmental condition

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

in or at that place or location

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

the upper part of anything

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

in the direction of

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

-ing form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

badly timed

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

in a vague way

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading He was treading cautiously over a brownish carpet of fungus growth, creeping furtively toward the stream which he knew by the generic title of "water."

used to ask for information about something

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

during the time that

From this reading The grandfather had come to an untimely end in a rather unpleasant fashion which Burl remembered vaguely as a succession of screams coming more and more faintly to his ears while he was being carried away at the top speed of which his mother was capable.

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.

past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading Surely he had never wondered in the abstract of what his great grandfather thought, and most surely of all, there never entered his head such a purely hypothetical question as the one of what his many-times-great-grandfather--say of the year 1920--would have thought of the scene in which Burl found himself.

a late time of life

From this reading In All His lifetime of perhaps twenty years, it had never occurred to Burl to wonder what his grandfather had thought about his surroundings.