used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
carvedadjectiveUS /kɑːrvd/
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
cathedralsnounUS /kəˈθiːdrəlz/
plural of “cathedral” — any large and important church
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
ceilingnounUS /ˈsiːlɪŋ/
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
cornersnounUS /ˈkɔːrnərz/
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
droningnounUS /ˈdroʊnɪŋ/
an unchanging intonation
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
elusiveadjectiveUS /ɪˈluːsɪv/
difficult to describe
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
at any time
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
gildingnounUS /ˈɡɪldɪŋ/
a coating of gold or of something that looks like gold
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
loftyadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːfti/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
characterized by grandeur
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
monotonenounUS /ˈmɑːnətoʊn/
an unchanging intonation
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
not any; not one
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
coated with paint
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
perfumenounUS /pərˈfjuːm/
a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
possessing material wealth
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
shroudedverbUS /ˈʃraʊdɪd/
past form of “shroud” — cover as if with a shroud
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
in or at or to some place
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE DEATH CHAMBER A dark, silent chamber.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading There was a faint, elusive perfume in the air that set him thinking of cathedrals, and from somewhere near him there came a droning monotone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
unlikeadjectiveUS /ənˈlaɪk/
marked by dissimilarity
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Edward lay in a half consciousness, staring up at the ceiling.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A room magnificent and lofty in which the far corners were shrouded in shadowy gloom.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
wondermentnounUS /ˈwʌndərmənt/
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading It caused him no wonderment that the ceiling was strange to him, and unlike any ceiling he had ever known, or that it should be carved and painted and rich with gilding.
