used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Pain began in him, and fear.
the act of breaking something
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
brittleadjectiveUS /ˈbrɪtəl/
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
enduredverbUS /enˈdjʊrd/
past form of “endure” — put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Pain began in him, and fear.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
set up or found
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
frigidadjectiveUS /ˈfrɪdʒəd/
sexually unresponsive
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Pain began in him, and fear.
hingesnounUS /ˈhɪndʒɪz/
plural of “hinge” — a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing relative to the other
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
hitchedverbUS /hɪtʃt/
past form of “hitch” — to hook or entangle
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Pain began in him, and fear.
in order that something should not happen
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
and nothing more
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading Pain began in him, and fear.
paralysisnounUS /pərˈæləsəs/
loss of the ability to move a body part
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
PattynounUS /ˈpæti/
small flat mass of chopped food
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
Patty'snounUS /ˈpætiz/
possessive form of “patty” — small flat mass of chopped food
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
scoldedverbUS /ˈskoʊldɪd/
past form of “scold” — censure severely or angrily
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
shawlnounUS /ʃɔːl/
cloak consisting of an oblong piece of cloth used to cover the head and shoulders
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
shiveredverbUS /ˈʃɪvərd/
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading He turned in slow, thudding steps.
express in speech
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
stealthilyadverb
in a stealthy manner
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading He turned in slow, thudding steps.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
thuddingadjective
not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft
From this reading He turned in slow, thudding steps.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
tuckingverbUS /ˈtʌkɪŋ/
-ing form of “tuck” — fit snugly into
From this reading Patty shivered in the frigid air and hitched her shawl about her, tucking in her hands as she scolded:
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned in slow, thudding steps.
the act of using
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
at the time that
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Only now that he tried to use his hands and found them without hinges or feeling did he realize how cold he had been.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He had endured a stealthily creeping paralysis and when he heard Patty’s step, he was almost afraid to speak lest his words come forth brittle and fall breaking on the floor.
