used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
terminate
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading Yet his will was unbroken, he was integral, complete.
intentionally conceived
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
Crich
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
drinksnounUS /drɪŋks/
plural of “drink” — a single serving of a beverage
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
every person
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Yet his will was unbroken, he was integral, complete.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
integraladjectiveUS /ˈɪntəɡrəl/
existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
From this reading Yet his will was unbroken, he was integral, complete.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
linkingverbUS /ˈlɪŋkɪŋ/
-ing form of “link” — make a logical or causal connection
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
morphianoun
an alkaloid narcotic drug extracted from opium; a powerful, habit-forming narcotic used to relieve pain
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
and nothing more
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
sippedverbUS /sɪpt/
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
strandnounUS /strænd/
a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading DEATH AND LOVE Thomas Crich died slowly, terribly slowly.
threadverbUS /θred/
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
unbrokenadjectiveUS /ənˈbroʊkən/
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading Yet his will was unbroken, he was integral, complete.
unutterablyadverb
to an inexpressible degree
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The sick man lay unutterably weak and spent, kept alive by morphia and by drinks, which he sipped slowly.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Yet his will was unbroken, he was integral, complete.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was only half conscious—a thin strand of consciousness linking the darkness of death with the light of day.
but in spite of that
From this reading It seemed impossible to everybody that the thread of life could be drawn out so thin, and yet not break.
