All 3 Uses of
phase
in
The Scarlet Letter
- It still haunts me, and induces a sort of home-feeling with the past, which I scarcely claim in reference to the present phase of the town.
p. 10.9phase = stages of development
- She might, in one of her phases, have been a prophetess.
p. 152.6 *
- This earthly faintness, was, in their view, only another phase of the minister's celestial strength; nor would it have seemed a miracle too high to be wrought for one so holy, had he ascended before their eyes, waxing dimmer and brighter, and fading at last into the light of heaven!
p. 234.9phase = stage of development
Definitions:
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(1)
(phase as in: a critical phase) a period of time or a stage during the development of something
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(2)
(phase as in: she's going through a phase) a period of time when someone exhibits unusual behavior
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(3)
(phase as in: phased out over three years) make a change gradually (phase in = gradually add; phase out = gradually removed)
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(4)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
More specialized and less common senses of the word are found in astronomy, physics, chemistry, and zoology. Consult a comprehensive dictionary if you wish to see those. All senses have to do with stages or periods of time.