used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
amissadjectiveUS /əˈmɪs/
not functioning properly
From this reading There was, apparently, nothing amiss.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
from appearances alone
From this reading There was, apparently, nothing amiss.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
Durkin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
glimmered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
half-moonnoun
the crescent-shaped area at the base of the human fingernail
From this reading A hazy half-moon slanted down over the house-tops.
hazyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪzi/
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading A hazy half-moon slanted down over the house-tops.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
house-tops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A hazy half-moon slanted down over the house-tops.
importernounUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtər/
someone whose business involves importing goods from outside (especially from a foreign country)
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
laceverbUS /leɪs/
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There was, apparently, nothing amiss.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
peeredverbUS /pɪrd/
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
poundingnounUS /ˈpaʊndɪŋ/
repeated heavy blows
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
shaftsnounUS /ʃæfts/
plural of “shaft” — a line that forms the length of an arrow pointer
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
shipping-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
slantedadjectiveUS /ˈslæntɪd/
having an oblique or slanted direction
From this reading A hazy half-moon slanted down over the house-tops.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was, apparently, nothing amiss.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A noise of pounding came to him from the shipping-room of a lace importer below.
top-floor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading It was not until night had settled down over the city that Durkin opened the back window of his little top-floor room and peered cautiously out.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading A few scattered shafts of light glimmered from the windows opposite.
