used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
ailmentsnounUS /ˈeɪlmənts/
plural of “ailment” — an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
lacking funds
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
cheerieradjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪriər/
comparative of “cheery” — bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
convivialities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
crispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
discoursed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
a social unit living together
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
good-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
high-road
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
the light of the Moon
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
on one occasion
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
patchedadjectiveUS /pætʃt/
mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
regainingnounUS /rɪˈɡeɪnɪŋ/
getting something back again
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
renownedadjectiveUS /rɪˈnaʊnd/
widely known and esteemed
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
saluteverbUS /səˈluːt/
propose a toast to
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
shyverbUS /ʃaɪ/
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
an ability that has been acquired by training
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
smeltnounUS /smelt/
small cold-water silvery fish; migrate between salt and fresh water
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
swingingnounUS /ˈswɪŋɪŋ/
changing location by moving back and forth
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
Sylvester
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
tunenounUS /tuːn/
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
undulatingverbUS /ˈʌndʒəleɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “undulate” — stir up (water) so as to form ripples
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The night was crisp with a touch of frost, and the air smelt sweet.
(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 One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/
make whistling sounds
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading One he stopped, and discoursed with him at length on family ailments, much to the man's surprise; for Sylvester was renowned far and wide for his shy silence as well as for his skill.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Sylvester walked home from his case, along the undulating high-road patched with moonlight and shadow, swinging his stick.
wofully
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once he began to whistle an air, wofully out of tune, and then broke into a short laugh.
workingmannoun
an employee who performs manual or industrial labor
From this reading Now and then a workingman regaining his home after town convivialities, passed him by with a salute to which he replied with a cheerier good-night than usual.
