used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was big, and square, and almost without windows.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was big, and square, and almost without windows.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
flightsnounUS /flaɪts/
plural of “flight” — a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was big, and square, and almost without windows.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Don Matteo lifted the knocker, and knocked till it thundered.
knockernoun
(Yiddish) a big shot who knows it and acts that way; a boastful immoderate person
From this reading Don Matteo lifted the knocker, and knocked till it thundered.
lavanounUS /ˈlɑːvə/
rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos; lava is what magma is called when it reaches the surface
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
held up in the air
From this reading Don Matteo lifted the knocker, and knocked till it thundered.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
lizardsnounUS /ˈlɪzərdz/
plural of “lizard” — relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
locksnounUS /lɑːks/
plural of “lock” — a fastener fitted to a door or drawer to keep it firmly closed
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
loggianounUS /ˈlɑːɡiə/
a roofed arcade or gallery with open sides stretching along the front or side of a building; often at an upper level
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
Matteo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
nimbleadjectiveUS /ˈnɪmbəl/
moving quickly and lightly
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
cut with a saw
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
slimeverbUS /slaɪm/
cover or stain with slime
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
spider-webs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
make square
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
thunderedverbUS /ˈθʌndərd/
past form of “thunder” — move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading Don Matteo lifted the knocker, and knocked till it thundered.
tiledadjectiveUS /taɪld/
covered or furnished with tiles
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
up to a particular time
From this reading Don Matteo lifted the knocker, and knocked till it thundered.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was big, and square, and almost without windows.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
in or at the place that
From this reading And it had walls of black lava, and a “loggia,” where green slime grew over the tiled floor, and where the spider-webs were so thick that the nimble lizards were almost held fast in them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At the end of the street lay a little dark square, and there Don Matteo saw an old house, before which he stopped.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading It was big, and square, and almost without windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It had two enormous flights of steps, and two big doors with heavy locks.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It was big, and square, and almost without windows.
