used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading He could scarcely believe his ill-fortune.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
BrownenounUS /braʊn/
English illustrator of several of Dickens' novels (1815-1882)
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
comfortingadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmfərtɪŋ/
providing freedom from worry
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could scarcely believe his ill-fortune.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Why had she left England so suddenly?
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could scarcely believe his ill-fortune.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
ill-fortune
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could scarcely believe his ill-fortune.
Katherine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
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 Why had she left England so suddenly?
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
maid'snounUS /meɪdz/
possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
a particular point in time
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
information about recent and important events
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
and nothing more
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
only a very short time before
From this reading He could scarcely believe his ill-fortune.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why had she left England so suddenly?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Why had she left England so suddenly?
in the near future
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
having a supporting base
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
at the time that
From this reading When Browne heard the maid's news, his heart sank like lead.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why had she left England so suddenly?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Now his world seemed suddenly to have turned as black as midnight.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Only a moment before he had been comforting himself with the thought that he would soon be standing face to face with Katherine, ready to ask her a question which should decide the happiness of his life.
