used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
have
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
breatheverbUS /briːð/
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
doctorsnounUS /ˈdɑːktərz/
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
flutteredverbUS /ˈflʌtərd/
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
immediately past
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
go away from a place
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
not any; not one
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
past form of “persuade” — win approval or support for
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
plumagenounUS /ˈpluːmədʒ/
the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
with low volume
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
sillnounUS /sɪl/
structural member consisting of a continuous horizontal timber forming the lowest member of a framework or supporting structure
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
a source of difficulty
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
precisely as stated
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
water-cures
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
at the time that
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
in or at the place that
From this reading At last he persuaded them to let him lie quietly in his room, where no one came to trouble him.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
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 One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading So he commanded his servants to leave the windows open in order that he might get more air.
in the company of; together with
From this reading One day, when he had been left alone for a few minutes, a bird with brilliant plumage came and fluttered round the window, and finally rested on the sill.
the least favorable outcome
From this reading Perhaps the worst pain he had to bear was a sort of weight on his chest, which made it very hard for him to breathe.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading All the doctors and all the water-cures in the kingdom had been tried, and nothing would do him any good.
