of |
1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
The invention was born of necessity. | |
13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
She wore a dress of silk. | |
22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
What a lot of nonsense! | |
23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
I'm always thinking of you. | |
27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
Most of these apples are rotten. | |
31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
He is a friend of mine. | |
34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
It's not that big of a deal. | |
45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
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. | |
almost |
1. adv. Very close to, but not quite. | |
Almost all people went there. - Not all but very close to it. | |
We almost missed the train. - Not missed but very close to it. | |
2. n. (informal) Something or someone that doesn't quite make it. | |
In all the submissions, they found four papers that were clearly worth publishing and another dozen almosts. | |
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. | |
texture |
1. n. The feel or shape of a surface or substance; the smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. of something. | |
The beans had a grainy, gritty texture in her mouth. | |
2. n. (arts) The quality given to a work of art by the composition and interaction of its parts. | |
The piece of music had a mainly smooth texture. | |
3. n. (computer graphics) An image applied to a polygon to create the appearance of a surface. | |
4. n. (obsolete) The act or art of weaving. | |
5. n. (obsolete) Something woven; a woven fabric; a web. | |
6. n. (biology, obsolete) A tissue. | |
7. v. to create or apply a texture | |
Drag the trowel through the plaster to texture the wall. | |
gossamer |
1. n. A fine film or strand as of cobwebs, floating in the air or caught on bushes, etc. | |
2. n. A soft, sheer fabric. | |
3. n. Anything delicate, light and flimsy. | |
4. adj. Tenuous, light, filmy or delicate. | |
The heaven was spangled with tremulous stars, and at the horizon the clouds hung down in gossamer folds—God's robe trailing in the sea! | |
light |
1. n. (physics) Visible electromagnetic radiation. The human eye can typically detect radiation (light) in the wavelength range of about 400 to 750 nanometers. Nearby shorter and longer wavelength ranges, a | |
As you can see, this spacious dining-room gets a lot of light in the mornings. | |
2. n. A source of illumination. | |
Put that light out! | |
3. n. Spiritual or mental illumination; enlightenment, useful information. | |
Can you throw any light on this problem? | |
4. n. (in the now rare) Facts; pieces of information; ideas, concepts. | |
5. n. A notable person within a specific field or discipline. | |
Picasso was one of the leading lights of the cubist movement. | |
6. n. (painting) The manner in which the light strikes a picture; that part of a picture which represents those objects upon which the light is supposed to fall; the more illuminated part of a landscape or | |
7. n. A point of view, or aspect from which a concept, person or thing is regarded. | |
I'm really seeing you in a different light today. | |
Magoon's governorship in Cuba was viewed in a negative light by many Cuban historians for years thereafter. | |
8. n. A flame or something used to create fire. | |
Hey, buddy, you got a light? | |
9. n. A firework made by filling a case with a substance which burns brilliantly with a white or coloured flame. | |
a Bengal light | |
10. n. A window, or space for a window in architecture. | |
This facade has eight south-facing lights. | |
11. n. The series of squares reserved for the answer to a crossword clue. | |
The average length of a light on a 15×15 grid is 7 or 8. | |
12. n. (informal) A cross-light in a double acrostic or triple acrostic. | |
13. n. Open view; a visible state or condition; public observation; publicity. | |
14. n. The power of perception by vision. | |
15. n. The brightness of the eye or eyes. | |
16. n. A traffic light, or, by extension, an intersection controlled by one or more that will face a traveler who is receiving instructions. | |
To get to our house, turn right at the third light. | |
17. v. To start (a fire). | |
We lit the fire to get some heat. | |
18. v. To set fire to; to set burning; to kindle. | |
She lit her last match. | |
19. v. To illuminate. | |
I used my torch to light the way home through the woods in the night. | |
20. v. (intransitive) To become ignited; to take fire. | |
This soggy match will not light. | |
21. v. To attend or conduct with a light; to show the way to by means of a light. | |
22. adj. Having light. | |
The room is light when the Sun shines through the window. | |
23. adj. Pale in colour. | |
She had light skin. | |
24. adj. (of coffee) Served with extra milk or cream. | |
I like my coffee light. | |
25. adj. Of low weight; not heavy. | |
My bag was much lighter once I had dropped off the books. | |
26. adj. Lightly-built; designed for speed or small loads. | |
We took a light aircraft down to the city. | |
27. adj. Gentle; having little force or momentum. | |
This artist clearly had a light, flowing touch. | |
28. adj. Easy to endure or perform. | |
light duties around the house | |
29. adj. Low in fat, calories, alcohol, salt, etc. | |
This light beer still gets you drunk if you have enough of it. | |
30. adj. Unimportant, trivial, having little value or significance. | |
I made some light comment, and we moved on. | |
31. adj. (rail transport, of a locomotive, usually with "run") travelling with no carriages, wagons attached | |
32. adj. (obsolete) Unchaste, wanton. | |
33. adj. Not heavily armed; armed with light weapons. | |
light troops; a troop of light horse | |
34. adj. Not encumbered; unembarrassed; clear of impediments; hence, active; nimble; swift. | |
35. adj. (dated) Easily influenced by trifling considerations; unsteady; unsettled; volatile. | |
a light, vain person; a light mind | |
36. adj. Indulging in, or inclined to, levity; lacking dignity or solemnity; frivolous; airy. | |
Ogden Nash was a writer of light verse. | |
37. adj. Not quite sound or normal; somewhat impaired or deranged; dizzy; giddy. | |
38. adj. Not of the legal, standard, or usual weight; clipped; diminished. | |
light coin | |
39. adj. Easily interrupted by stimulation. | |
light sleep; light anesthesia | |
40. adv. Carrying little. | |
I prefer to travel light. | |
41. n. (curling) A stone that is not thrown hard enough. | |
42. v. (nautical) To unload a ship, or to jettison material to make it lighter | |
43. v. To lighten; to ease of a burden; to take off. | |
44. v. To find by chance. | |
I lit upon a rare book in a second-hand bookseller's. | |
45. v. To stop upon (of eyes or a glance); to notice | |
46. v. (archaic) To alight; to land or come down. | |
She fell out of the window but luckily lit on her feet. | |
and |
1. conj. As a coordinating conjunction; expressing two elements to be taken together or in addition to each other. | |
2. conj. Used simply to connect two noun phrases, adjectives or adverbs. | |
3. conj. Simply connecting two clauses or sentences. | |
4. conj. Introducing a clause or sentence which follows on in time or consequence from the first. | |
5. conj. (obsolete) Yet; but. | |
6. conj. Used to connect certain numbers: connecting units when they precede tens (not dated); connecting tens and units to hundreds, thousands etc. (now often | |
7. conj. (now colloquial, or literary) Used to connect more than two elements together in a chain, sometimes to stress the number of elements. | |
8. conj. Connecting two identical elements, with implications of continued or infinite repetition. | |
9. conj. Introducing a parenthetical or explanatory clause. | |
10. conj. Introducing the continuation of narration from a previous understood point; also used alone as a question: ‘and so what?’. | |
11. conj. (now regional or somewhat colloquial) Used to connect two verbs where the second is dependent on the first: ‘to’. Used especially after come, | |
12. conj. Introducing a qualitative difference between things having the same name; "as well as other". | |
13. conj. Used to combine numbers in addition; plus (with singular or plural verb). | |
14. conj. Expressing a condition.: | |
15. conj. (now US dialect) If; provided that. | |
16. conj. (obsolete) As if, as though. | |
17. n. (enm, music, often informal) In rhythm, the second half of a divided beat. | |
18. n. (UK dialectal) Breath. | |
19. n. (UK dialectal) Sea smoke; steam fog. | |
20. v. (UK dialectal, intransitive) To breathe; whisper; devise; imagine. | |
insubstantial |
1. adj. Lacking substance; not real or strong. | |
The bridge was insubstantial and would not safely carry a car. | |