used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
(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 All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
any thing at all
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
astonishverbUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃ/
affect with wonder
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
boastverbUS /boʊst/
show off
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
Gurdon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he had known Venner.
immediately past
From this reading For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he had known Venner.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
used to form the superlative
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he had known Venner.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
OxfordnounUS /ˈɑːksfərd/
a city in southern England to the northwest of London; site of Oxford University
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
Identical; not different.
From this reading All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
secretsnounUS /ˈsiːkrəts/
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
sensationsnounUS /senˈseɪʃənz/
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
twenty-fiveadjectiveUS /ˈtwentifaɪv/
being five more than twenty
From this reading For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he had known Venner.
Venner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he had known Venner.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Gurdon waited for his companion to go on.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a boast of his that he had exhausted most of the sensations of life, and that he never allowed anything to astonish him.
at the time that
From this reading Indeed, there had been few secrets between them since the day when they had come down from Oxford together.
the words that are spoken
From this reading All the same, he was astonished now, and surprised beyond words.
a late time of life
From this reading For the last twenty-five years, on and off, he had known Venner.
