used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A SURPRISE--AN ADVENTURE--A MYSTERY.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading A SURPRISE--AN ADVENTURE--A MYSTERY.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A SURPRISE--AN ADVENTURE--A MYSTERY.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
bassnounUS /bæs/
the lowest part of the musical range
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
give a benediction to
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
bravuranounUS /brəˈvjʊrə/
brilliant and showy technical skill
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
discordnounUS /ˈdɪskɔːrd/
lack of agreement or harmony
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
gamutnounUS /ˈɡæmət/
a complete extent or range: "a face that expressed a gamut of emotions"
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
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 bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
used to form the superlative
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
Motte
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
musicallyadverbUS /ˈmjuːzɪkli/
in a musical manner
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading A SURPRISE--AN ADVENTURE--A MYSTERY.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
ownedadjectiveUS /oʊnd/
having an owner; often used in combination
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
performancenounUS /pərˈfɔːrməns/
a dramatic or musical entertainment
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
affix in a public place or for public notice
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
preventedverbUS /prɪˈventɪd/
past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
cut with a saw
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
the state of being asleep
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
snoringnounUS /ˈsnɔːrɪŋ/
the act of snoring or producing a snoring sound
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
in the near future
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading A SURPRISE--AN ADVENTURE--A MYSTERY.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
in or at that place or location
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
in spite of the fact that
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
torpornounUS /ˈtɔːrpər/
a state of motor and mental inactivity with a partial suspension of sensibility
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
tranquillitynounUS /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/
an untroubled state; free from disturbances
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
wakingadjectiveUS /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading La Motte heard him, long before he saw him, most musically snoring; though it must be owned there was more of the bass than of any other part of the gamut in his performance.
what's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
belonging to which person
From this reading He was soon roused by the _bravura_ of La Motte, whose notes sounded discord to his ears, and destroyed the torpor of his tranquillity.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The night passed without any alarm; Peter had remained upon his post, and heard nothing that prevented his sleeping.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading God bless you, master! what's the matter? cried Peter, waking, are they come?
