Chapter XII

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

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

later than; following

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

in the past

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

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

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

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

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

a period of 100 years

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

navigational instrument for finding directions

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

flow in a circular current, of liquids

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

plural of “fairy” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

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

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

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

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

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

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

make a break in

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

past form of “invent” — come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

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

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

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 “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading “But what is a compass?” said Eddy, looking up.

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

the leaf of a conifer

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

on one occasion

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “But what is a compass?” said Eddy, looking up.

express in words

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

express a supposition

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

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

From this reading THE STORY OF A NEEDLE AND A COMPASS.

in or at that place or location

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

Constituting number thirteen in a sequence.

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

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

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading “But what is a compass?” said Eddy, looking up.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “ONCE upon a time, in the days of fairies—” “How long ago?” inquired Eddy.

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

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

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “But what is a compass?” said Eddy, looking up.

in the company of; together with

From this reading “Oh, Eddy,” cried Lily with impatience, “you must not interrupt us every minute!”

a late time of life

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Well, you must not ask too particularly about that,” laughed George; “but I suppose that, as there is a compass in my story, it must have been after the compass was invented—about the thirteenth century, that is to say, though some believe that the Chinese had it more than two thousand years before.”