A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
It was late in the afternoon. The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative. Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning. They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves. Above him flared a gas-jet.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading “Above him flared a gas-jet.”
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “It was late in the afternoon.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.”
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading “They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.”
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading “Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.”
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading “Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.”
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.”
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Above him flared a gas-jet.
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It was late in the afternoon.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Above him flared a gas-jet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Above him flared a gas-jet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Above him flared a gas-jet.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was late in the afternoon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was late in the afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was late in the afternoon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Joyce was alone in the shop busily sorting a job lot of books that had come in during the morning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was late in the afternoon.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old man had gone away to Exeter, to bury his sister, his only surviving relative.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was late in the afternoon.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
in or at the place that
From this reading They were stacked in great piles at the further end, forming a barrier between himself and the doorway, where the falling light was creeping in upon the neatly-arranged shelves.
