used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
alligatornounUS /ˈæləɡeɪtər/
leather made from alligator's hide
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
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 was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
buggynounUS /ˈbʌɡi/
a small lightweight carriage; drawn by a single horse
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
cheapadjectiveUS /tʃiːp/
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
clergyman's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
clothing in general
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
cottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading He wore cotton gloves.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
having the power of driving or impelling
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
droopingadjectiveUS /ˈdruːpɪŋ/
weak from exhaustion
From this reading His hair and his heavy, drooping mustache were black.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
frocknounUS /frɑːk/
a long, loose outer garment
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
glovesnounUS /ɡlʌvz/
plural of “glove” — the handwear used by fielders in playing baseball
From this reading He wore cotton gloves.
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 His hair and his heavy, drooping mustache were black.
handbagnounUS /ˈhændbæɡ/
a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading His hair and his heavy, drooping mustache were black.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
imitateverbUS /ˈɪməteɪt/
reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
imitationnounUS /ˌɪməˈteɪʃən/
the doctrine that representations of nature or human behavior should be accurate imitations
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
inexpensiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪnɪkˈspensɪv/
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
mustachenounUS /ˈmʌstæʃ/
an unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip
From this reading His hair and his heavy, drooping mustache were black.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
ready-madeadjective
made for purchase and immediate use
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
shinyadjectiveUS /ˈʃaɪni/
reflecting light
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading At his feet was a shiny handbag made of some inexpensive material to imitate alligator skin.
refrain from harming
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was a tall, spare man, in a suit of black ready-made clothes that seemed not to fit him in any place, and to be a cheap imitation of a clergyman's frock suit.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading |A MAN driving a country buggy was approaching.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His hair and his heavy, drooping mustache were black.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He wore cotton gloves.
