used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
crimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
Dr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
dyedadjectiveUS /daɪd/
(used of color) artificially produced; not natural
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Dr. Stephen Letsom had watched it with sad, watchful eyes.
fadedadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪdəd/
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading It faded slowly out of the western sky.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
flushnounUS /flʌʃ/
the period of greatest prosperity or productivity
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
forerunnersnounUS /ˈfɔːrʌnərz/
plural of “forerunner” — a person who goes before or announces the coming of another
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
Letsom
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It faded slowly out of the western sky.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading Dr. Stephen Letsom had watched it with sad, watchful eyes.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
shadesnounUS /ʃeɪdz/
(plural) something that reminds you of someone or something
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading It faded slowly out of the western sky.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading It faded slowly out of the western sky.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
having a supporting base
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
StephennounUS /ˈstiːvən/
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
tintsnounUS /tɪnts/
plural of “tint” — a quality of a given color that differs slightly from another color
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The leaves on the trees had seemed to be dyed first in red, then in purple.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Dr. Stephen Letsom had watched it with sad, watchful eyes.
watchfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɑːtʃfəl/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading Dr. Stephen Letsom had watched it with sad, watchful eyes.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading It was the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading It faded slowly out of the western sky.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
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 the close Of an autumn day, and Dr. Stephen Letsom had been standing for some time at his window watching the sun go down.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There had been a golden flush with the sunset which changed into crimson, then into purple, and finally into dull gray tints that were forerunners of the shades of night.
