Chapter XIV

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

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

at or in the front

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

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

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

eagerly desirous

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

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

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

move or strike with a noise

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

filled or scattered with a disorderly accumulation of objects or rubbish

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

being joined in close association

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

in a curt, abrupt and discourteous manner

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

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

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

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

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

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

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

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

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

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

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

an expression of greeting

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

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

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

without material form or substance

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

unhurried and relaxed

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

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

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

of or in or relating to the nose

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

on one occasion

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

the state of being present; current existence

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

uttering in an irritated tone

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

set that receives radio or tv signals

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

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

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

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

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

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

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

in or at or to some place

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

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

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

(poetic) tranquil silence

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

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

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

in or at that place or location

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

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

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

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

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

not clearly expressed or understood

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading Then came a grating rasp and drone, a metallic click or two, and out of the stillness there floated in to his waiting ear the space-filtered music of an anxious “Hello”—flute-like, mellow, far-away.

a message informing of danger

From this reading Once more the signal-bell shrilled and cluttered its curtly hurried warning.

spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Durkin waited, with the receiver at his ear.

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading It seemed to him there, under the stress of his passing mood, that an incorporeal presence had whispered the word to him.

but in spite of that

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”

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

From this reading A vague yet nasal and half-impatient voice murmured brokenly out of somewhere to some one: “You’re connected now—go ahead.”