used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
altarnounUS /ˈɔːltər/
the table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
BarkernounUS /ˈbɑːrkər/
someone who stands in front of a show (as at a carnival) and gives a loud colorful sales talk to potential customers
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Nothing else had been touched.
blamedadjectiveUS /bleɪmd/
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
celebrationnounUS /ˌseləˈbreɪʃən/
a joyful occasion for special festivities to mark some happy event
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
chapelnounUS /ˈtʃæpəl/
a place of worship that has its own altar
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
circlesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəlz/
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
crabbedadjectiveUS /kræbd/
annoyed and irritable
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nothing else had been touched.
finishingnounUS /ˈfɪnɪʃɪŋ/
a decorative texture or appearance of a surface (or the substance that gives it that appearance)
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
the act of departing
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
destroyed or killed
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
something that is lost
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
engage in
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
not able to be found
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
information about recent and important events
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing else had been touched.
being perceived or observed
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
on one occasion
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
quaveringadjectiveUS /ˈkweɪvərɪŋ/
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
sextonnounUS /ˈsekstən/
United States poet (1928-1974)
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
sinnernounUS /ˈsɪnər/
a person who sins (without repenting)
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
spreadsnounUS /spredz/
plural of “spread” — process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He had gone to the chapel at seven in the morning to make ready the church for early celebration, and on going to the altar he had noticed that the cup was missing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
caused to fall to the ground
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
having come into contact
From this reading Nothing else had been touched.
trottedverbUS /ˈtrɑːtɪd/
inflected form of “trot” — run at a moderately swift pace
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
vicarnounUS /ˈvɪkər/
a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
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 A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
at the time that
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
white-hairedadjective
showing characteristics of age, especially having grey or white hair
From this reading Barker, the old sexton, a white-haired, crabbed sinner, was the first to discover the loss.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading A NINE DAYS' WONDER Ill news spreads like circles on water when a stone is thrown in.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At once the old man had trotted off to see the vicar, and in a quavering voice related what had taken place, finishing with a hope that he would not be blamed for the loss.
