Chapter I · Chapter 1

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

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

Having no one else present.

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

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

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

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

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

a distinct feature or element in a problem

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

plural of “builder” — a substance added to soaps or detergents to increase their cleansing action

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

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

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

the overhead upper surface of a covered space

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

plural of “century” — a period of 100 years

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

a state in which you want to learn more about something

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

the first light of day

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

past form of “deposit” — put, fix, force, or implant

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

the act of eating dinner

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

a movement into or inward

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

Strictly particular and correct.

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

the state or fact of existing

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

opinion or judgment

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

a social unit living together

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

ludicrously odd

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

superlative of “fine” — being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

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

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

the aggregate of past events

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

the quality of being similar or comparable in kind or nature

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

characteristic of humanity

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

tending to increase knowledge or dissipate ignorance

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

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

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

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

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

march in a procession

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

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

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

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

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

above and across; more than

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue or situation

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

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

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

plural of “record” — anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

past form of “restore” — return to its original or usable and functioning condition

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

the speech act of making something evident

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

plural of “soul” — the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

a depository for goods

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

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

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

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

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

familiar with many parts of the world

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

plural of “trophy” — an award for success in war or hunting

From this reading For in this dining hall—one of the finest in England—the Caradoc family had for centuries assembled the trophies and records of their existence.

being without an escort

From this reading Light, unaccompanied by the prejudice of human eyes, made strange revelation of incongruities, as though illuminating the dispassionate march of history.

without awareness

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

up to a particular time

From this reading Round about this dining hall they had built and pulled down and restored, until the rest of Monkland Court presented some aspect of homogeneity.

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

a person who has never had sex

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

showing pensive sadness

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Light, entering the vast room—a room so high that its carved ceiling refused itself to exact scrutiny—travelled, with the wistful, cold curiosity of the dawn, over a fantastic storehouse of Time.

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading Here alone they had left virgin the work of the old quasi-monastic builders, and within it unconsciously deposited their souls.