used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
black-hairedadjective
having hair of a dark color
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
conceptionnounUS /kənˈsepʃən/
an abstract or general idea inferred or derived from specific instances
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
contemplationnounUS /ˌkɑːntəmˈpleɪʃən/
a long and thoughtful observation
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
fablenounUS /ˈfeɪbəl/
a deliberately false or improbable account
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
GermansnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmənz/
plural of “german” — a person of German nationality
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
ineffectualadjectiveUS /ˌɪnəˈfektʃuːəl/
not producing an intended effect
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was monstrous.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
LegendnounUS /ˈledʒənd/
a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
LewisnounUS /ˈluːɪs/
United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935)
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
magnificencenoun
splendid or imposing in size or appearance
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
Merritt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
a particular point in time
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
Monsnoun
a mound of fatty tissue covering the pubic area in women
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
monstrousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːnstrəs/
abnormally large
From this reading It was monstrous.
mythnounUS /mɪθ/
a traditional story accepted as history; serves to explain the world view of a people
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
paltryadjectiveUS /ˈpɔːltri/
not worth considering
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
rumornounUS /ˈruːmər/
gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
RussiansnounUS /ˈrʌʃənz/
plural of “russian” — a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
secretlyadverbUS /ˈsiːkrɪtli/
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
solidadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləd/
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
square-headed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lewis gasped for a moment, silent in contemplation of the magnificence of rumor.
a special situation
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
undergroundadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/
under the level of the ground
From this reading The Germans already landed, hiding underground, striking by night, secretly, terribly, at the power of England!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Here was a conception which made the myth of “The Russians” a paltry fable; before which the Legend of Mons was an ineffectual thing.
but in spite of that
From this reading And yet— He looked steadily at Merritt; a square-headed, black-haired, solid sort of man.
