used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "God be praised!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
direct the course of; manage or control
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
distressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈstresɪŋ/
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
downstairsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈsterz/
on a floor below
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
enactedverbUS /eˈnæktəd/
past form of “enact” — order by virtue of superior authority; decree
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
father'snounUS /ˈfɑːðərz/
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "God be praised!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
only a very short time before
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
Herve
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
lowermostadjective
farthest down
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
the time that has elapsed
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
PENITENTnounUS /ˈpenɪtɪnt/
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
From this reading THE PENITENT.
praisedverbUS /preɪzd/
past form of “praise” — express approval of
From this reading "God be praised!
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
smotheredadjectiveUS /ˈsmʌðərd/
held in check with difficulty
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
a male human offspring
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
tearfullyadverbUS /ˈtɪrfəli/
with tears; in a tearful manner
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PENITENT.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
having come into contact
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
at the time that
From this reading Hardly had they touched the lowermost step of the staircase when Herve threw himself upon his knees, took his father's hands, kissed them tearfully and murmured in a smothered voice:
in or at the place that
From this reading Father, mother and son proceeded downstairs to the room on the ground floor where the distressing scene of the night before was enacted.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I beg your pardon--for my past conduct--pardon me--my good parents!"
