used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
Bertram
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
the two together, not just one
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
an occurrence of something
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
clear-sightedadjective
having sharp clear vision
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
demoralisingadjective
destructive of morale and self-reliance
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
take in liquids
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
energiesnounUS /ˈenərdʒiz/
plural of “energy” — (physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
gallingadjectiveUS /ˈɡɔːlɪŋ/
causing irritation or annoyance
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
hopelessadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊpləs/
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And now it had fallen from him.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
lifetimenounUS /ˈlaɪftaɪm/
the period during which something is functional (as between birth and death)
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
Mitfordnoun
United States writer (born in England) who wrote on American culture (1917-1996)
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now it had fallen from him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
paralysed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
by chance
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
PROLOGUEnounUS /ˈproʊlɑːɡ/
an introduction to a play
From this reading PROLOGUE.
sterilisedadjective
made infertile
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
suicidenounUS /ˈsuːəsaɪd/
the act of killing yourself
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
a Caucasian
From this reading The White Hand and the Black, by Bertram Mitford.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading A weight had fallen from him--the weight of a lifetime; the galling, hopeless, demoralising weight which had paralysed his energies, sterilised his brain, and, in the case of a subject less clear-sighted, would have brought him down to drink or suicide, possibly both.
