used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
how long something has existed
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
bronzedadjectiveUS /brɑːnzd/
(of skin) having a tan color from exposure to the sun
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
a period of 100 years
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
contrastnounUS /ˈkɑːntræst/
the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
elegancenounUS /ˈeləɡəns/
a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It was perhaps that which gave him his air of elegance.
a man of refinement
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was perhaps that which gave him his air of elegance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
immediately past
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
moustachenounUS /ˈmʌstæʃ/
an unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
not divisible by two
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
by chance
From this reading It was perhaps that which gave him his air of elegance.
powderedadjectiveUS /ˈpaʊdərd/
consisting of fine particles
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
on the contrary
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
slimadjectiveUS /slɪm/
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He was really like a powdered gallant of the last century rather than a gentleman of this.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE FRIEND He was tall and slim, and had an elegance of air which really does not seem to belong to our age.
a Caucasian
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading His face was bronzed and his eyes were of so dark a grey--I know since that they are grey--that I thought them black that evening in the shadow of the woods.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading He had a little black moustache, and, in odd contrast to it and his look of youth, his hair was quite white.
