Chapter XIV

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

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

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

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

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

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

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

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

absence of light or illumination

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

amazingly impressive; suggestive of the flashing of lightning

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

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

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "No, no, I mustn’t say that.

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

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

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

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

held up in the air

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

kill intentionally and with premeditation

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

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

From this reading "No, no, I mustn’t say that.

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

not any; not one

From this reading "No, no, I mustn’t say that.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading You’re not responsible.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable

From this reading You’re not responsible.

express in words

From this reading "No, no, I mustn’t say that.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

(of meat) full of sinews; especially impossible to chew

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

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

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "No, no, I mustn’t say that.

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

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

The passage at the back of the mouth.

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

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

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

precisely as stated

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

at the time that

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

a Caucasian

From this reading His bronze sinewy hands looked very dark against the white, the dazzling white of her throat, as he lifted her in the air for one terrible instant, an instant when she was near to death and he to murder.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Then he took his hands away, caught her when she would have fallen, and stammered out brokenly, almost in tears:

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Edith," he whispered, "if you were a man I’d kill you!"

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

From this reading You’re not responsible.