a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
fine |
1. adj. Senses referring to subjective quality. | |
2. adj. Of superior quality. | |
The tree frog that they encountered was truly a fine specimen. | |
Only a really fine wine could fully complement Lucía's hand-made pasta. | |
3. adj. (informal) Being acceptable, adequate, passable, or satisfactory. | |
How are you today? – Fine. | |
Will this one do? It's got a dent in it. – Yeah, it'll be fine, I guess. | |
It's fine with me if you stay out late, so long as you're back by three. | |
4. adj. (informal) Good-looking, attractive. | |
That man is so fine that I'd jump into his pants without a moment's hesitation. | |
5. adj. Subtle, delicately balanced. | |
6. adj. (obsolete) Showy; overdecorated. | |
7. adj. Delicate; subtle; exquisite; artful; dexterous. | |
8. adj. (An answer often used to cover an unnecessary explanation, rather to avoid conflict or an argument. Saying "I'm fine" can be used to avoid inquiry when | |
When a girl says she's "fine," she ain't fine. | |
9. adj. Senses referring to objective quality. | |
10. adj. Of a particular grade of quality, usually between very good and very fine, and below mint. | |
The small scratch meant that his copy of “X-Men 2” was merely fine when it otherwise would have been “near mint”. | |
11. adj. (of weather) Sunny and not raining. | |
12. adj. Consisting of especially minute particulate; made up of particularly small pieces. | |
Grind it into a fine powder. | |
When she touched the artifact, it collapsed into a heap of fine dust. | |
13. adj. Particularly slender; especially thin, narrow, or of small girth. | |
The threads were so fine that you had to look through a magnifying glass to see them. | |
14. adj. Made of slender or thin filaments. | |
They protected themselves from the small parasites with a fine wire mesh. | |
15. adj. Having a (specified) proportion of pure metal in its composition. | |
coins nine tenths fine | |
16. adj. (cricket) Behind the batsman and at a small angle to the line between the wickets. | |
...to nudge it through the covers (or tickle it down to fine leg) for a fournb... | |
17. adj. (obsolete) Subtle; thin; tenuous. | |
18. adv. Expression of (typically) reluctant agreement. | |
19. adv. Well, nicely, in a positive way. | |
Everything worked out fine. | |
20. adv. (dated, dialect, colloquial) Finely; elegantly; delicately. | |
21. adv. (pool, billiards) In a manner so that the driven ball strikes the object ball so far to one side as to be barely deflected, the object ball being driven to one side. | |
22. n. Fine champagne; French brandy. | |
23. n. (usually in the plural) Something that is fine; fine particles. | |
24. v. To make finer, purer, or cleaner; to purify or clarify. | |
to fine gold | |
25. v. (intransitive) To become finer, purer, or cleaner. | |
26. v. To make finer, or less coarse, as in bulk, texture, etc. | |
to fine the soil | |
27. v. To change by fine gradations. | |
to fine down a ship's lines, i.e. to diminish her lines gradually | |
28. v. To clarify (wine and beer) by filtration. | |
29. v. (intransitive, dated) To become gradually fine; to diminish; to dwindle (with away, down, or off). | |
30. n. A fee levied as punishment for breaking the law. | |
The fine for jay-walking has gone from two dollars to thirty in the last fifteen years. | |
31. v. To issue a fine as punishment to (someone). | |
She was fined a thousand dollars for littering, but she appealed. | |
32. v. (intransitive) To pay a fine. | |
33. n. (music) The end of a musical composition. | |
34. n. (music) The location in a musical score that indicates the end of the piece, particularly when the piece ends somewhere in the middle of the score due to a section of the music being repeated. | |
35. v. (obsolete, intransitive) To finish; to cease. | |
36. v. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to cease; to stop. | |
37. n. (obsolete) End; conclusion; termination; extinction. | |
38. n. A final agreement concerning lands or rents between persons, as the lord and his vassal. | |
39. n. (legal) A sum of money or price paid for obtaining a benefit, favor, or privilege, as for admission to a copyhold, or for obtaining or renewing a lease. | |
transparent |
1. adj. (of a material or object) See-through, clear; having the property that light passes through it almost undisturbed, such that one can see through it clearly. | |
The waters of the lake were transparent until the factory dumped waste there. | |
2. adj. (of a system or organization) Open, public; having the property that theories and practices are publicly visible, thereby reducing the chance of corruption. | |
3. adj. Obvious; readily apparent; easy to see or understand. | |
His reasons for the decision were transparent. | |
4. adj. (signal processing) Having the property of transparency, i.e. sufficiently accurate that the compressed result is perceptually indistinguishable from the uncompressed input. | |
silk |
1. n. (mostly) A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider). | |
The thread made of silk was barely visible. | |
2. n. A fine, soft cloth woven from silk fibers. | |
3. n. Anything which resembles silk, such as the filiform styles of the female flower of maize, or the seed covering of bombaxes. | |
4. n. The gown worn by a Senior (i.e. Queen's/King's) Counsel. | |
5. n. (colloquial) A Senior (i.e. Queen's/King's) Counsel. | |
6. n. (circus arts, in the plural) A pair of long silk sheets suspended in the air on which a performer performs tricks. | |
7. n. (horse racing, usually in the plural) The garments worn by a jockey displaying the colors of the horse's owner. | |
8. v. To remove the silk from (corn). | |
material |
1. adj. Having to do with matter; consisting of matter. | |
This compound has a number of interesting material properties. | |
2. adj. Worldly, as opposed to spiritual. | |
Don't let material concerns get in the way of living a happy life. | |
3. adj. (law, accounting) Significant. | |
You've made several material contributions to this project. | |
This is the most material fact in this lawsuit. | |
4. n. Matter which may be shaped or manipulated, particularly in making something. | |
Asphalt, composed of oil and sand, is a widely used material for roads. | |
5. n. Text written for a specific purpose. | |
We were a warm-up act at the time; we didn't have enough original material to headline. | |
6. n. A sample or specimens for study. | |
7. n. Cloth to be made into a garment. Fabric. | |
You'll need about a yard of material to make this. | |
8. n. The people collectively who are qualified for a certain position or activity. | |
John Doe is a great governor, and I also believe he is presidential material. | |
He is not the only one. I believe we have lots of presidential material in various public offices. | |
9. n. Related data of various kinds, especially if collected as the basis for a document or book. | |
10. n. The substance that something is made or composed of. | |
11. v. (obsolete, transitive) To form from matter; to materialize. | |
used |
1. v. simple past tense and past participle of use | |
You used me! | |
2. v. (intransitive, as an auxiliary verb, now only in past tense) to perform habitually; to be accustomed to doing something | |
He used to live here, but moved away last year. | |
3. adj. That is or has or have been used. | |
The ground was littered with used syringes left behind by drug abusers. | |
4. adj. That has or have previously been owned by someone else. | |
He bought a used car. | |
5. adj. Familiar through use; usual; accustomed. | |
I got used to this weather. | |
use |
1. n. The act of using. | |
the use of torture has been condemned by the United Nations; there is no use for your invention | |
2. n. (followed by "of") Usefulness, benefit. | |
What's the use of a law that nobody follows? | |
3. n. A function; a purpose for which something may be employed. | |
This tool has many uses. | |
4. n. Occasion or need to employ; necessity. | |
I have no further use for these textbooks. | |
5. n. (obsolete, rare) Interest for lent money; premium paid for the use of something; usury. | |
6. n. (archaic) Continued or repeated practice; usage; habit. | |
7. n. (obsolete) Common occurrence; ordinary experience. | |
8. n. (religion) The special form of ritual adopted for use in any diocese. | |
the Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the Hereford use; the York use; the Roman use; etc. | |
9. n. (forging) A slab of iron welded to the side of a forging, such as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging. | |
10. v. To utilize or employ. | |
11. v. To employ; to apply; to utilize. | |
Use this knife to slice the bread. | |
We can use this mathematical formula to solve the problem. | |
12. v. (transitive, often with up) To expend; to consume by employing. | |
I used the money they allotted me. | |
We should use up most of the fuel. | |
She used all the time allotted to complete the test. | |
13. v. To exploit. | |
You never cared about me; you just used me! | |
14. v. To consume (alcohol, drugs, etc), especially regularly. | |
He uses cocaine. I have never used drugs. | |
15. v. (intransitive) To consume a previously specified substance, especially a drug to which one is addicted. | |
Richard began experimenting with cocaine last year; now he uses almost every day. | |
16. v. (transitive, with auxiliary "could") To benefit from; to be able to employ or stand. | |
I could use a drink. My car could use a new coat of paint. | |
17. v. To accustom; to habituate. (Now common only in participial form. Note: This usage uses the nounal pronunciation of the word rather than the typically verbal one.) | |
soldiers who are used to hardships and danger (still common) | |
to use the soldiers to hardships and danger (now rare) | |
18. v. (reflexive, obsolete, with "to") To become accustomed, to accustom oneself. | |
19. v. (intransitive, now rare, literary) To habitually do; to be wont to do. | |
20. v. (intransitive, now rare, literary) To habitually employ; to be wont to employ. | |
21. v. (intransitive, past tense with infinitive) To habitually do. See used to. | |
I used to get things done. | |
22. v. (dated) To behave toward; to act with regard to; to treat. | |
to use an animal cruelly | |
23. v. (reflexive, obsolete) To behave, act, comport oneself. | |
for |
1. conj. (dated) Because. | |
2. prep. Towards. | |
The astronauts headed for the moon. | |
3. prep. Directed at, intended to belong to. | |
I have something for you. | |
4. prep. In honor of, or directed towards the celebration or event of. | |
We're having a birthday party for Janet. | |
The cake is for Tom and Helen's anniversary. | |
The mayor gave a speech for the charity gala. | |
5. prep. Supporting. | |
All those for the motion raise your hands. | |
6. prep. Because of. | |
He wouldn't apologize; and just for that, she refused to help him. | |
(UK usage) He looks better for having lost weight. | |
She was the worse for drink. | |
7. prep. Over a period of time. | |
I've lived here for three years. | |
They fought for days over a silly pencil. | |
8. prep. Throughout an extent of space. | |
9. prep. On behalf of. | |
I will stand in for him. | |
10. prep. Instead of, or in place of. | |
11. prep. In order to obtain or acquire. | |
I am aiming for completion by the end of business Thursday. | |
He's going for his doctorate. | |
Do you want to go for coffee? | |
People all over Greece looked to Delphi for answers. | |
Can you go to the store for some eggs? | |
I'm saving up for a car. | |
Don't wait for an answer. | |
What did he ask you for? | |
12. prep. In the direction of: marks a point one is going toward. | |
Run for the hills! | |
He was headed for the door when he remembered. | |
13. prep. By the standards of, usually with the implication of those standards being lower than one might otherwise expect. | |
Fair for its day. | |
She's spry for an old lady. | |
14. prep. Despite, in spite of. | |
15. prep. Used to indicate the subject of a to-infinitive. | |
For that to happen now is incredibly unlikely. (=It is incredibly unlikely that that will happen now.) | |
All I want is for you to be happy. (=All I want is that you be happy.) | |
16. prep. (chiefly US) Out of; used to indicate a fraction, a ratio | |
In term of base hits, Jones was three for four on the day | |
17. prep. (cricket) Used as part of a score to indicate the number of wickets that have fallen. | |
At close of play, England were 305 for 3. | |
18. prep. To be, or as being. | |
19. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating that in prevention of which, or through fear of which, anything is done.) | |
20. prep. Used to construe various verbs (see the entries for individual phrasal verbs). | |
veils |
1. n. plural of veil | |
veil |
1. n. Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crape, or similar diaphanous material. | |
2. n. A cover; disguise; a mask; a pretense. | |
3. n. The calyptra of mosses. | |
4. n. A membrane connecting the margin of the pileus of a mushroom with the stalk; a velum. | |
5. n. A covering for a person or thing; as, a caul (especially over the head) | |
a nun's veil | |
a paten veil | |
an altar veil | |
Muslim woman often cover their face with a veil. | |
6. n. (zoology) velum (A circular membrane round the cap of medusa) | |
7. n. (mycology) A thin layer of tissue which is attached to or covers a mushroom. | |
8. n. An obscuration of the clearness of the tones in pronunciation. | |
9. v. To dress in, or decorate with, a veil. | |
10. v. To conceal as with a veil. | |
The forest fire was veiled by smoke, but I could hear it clearly. | |
etc |
1. adv. alternative form of etc. | |