touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
(used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
bootedadjectiveUS /ˈbuːtɪd/
wearing boots
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
danse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
having gaps or spaces
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
distressinglyadverbUS /dɪˈstresɪŋli/
unpleasantly
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
docilely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
garmentsnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənts/
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
ghastlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡæstli/
shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
gleenounUS /ɡliː/
great merriment
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
maccabre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
mirthnounUS /mɜːrθ/
great merriment
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
NinanounUS /ˈniːnə/
the Babylonian goddess of the watery deep and daughter of Ea
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading She was very pretty.
rattlingnounUS /ˈrætlɪŋ/
a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
scruplesnounUS /ˈskruːpəlz/
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
ShrieksnounUS /ʃriːks/
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
in the near future
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
spurredverbUS /spɜːrd/
inflected form of “spur” — incite or stimulate
From this reading But as if to drive away my gloom, she soon dashed into the room, fully booted and spurred.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Shrieks of glee came through the open door, beat against my ears—distressingly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I seemed to hear the bones of some ghastly _danse maccabre_, rattling behind her mirth.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Nina seemed surprised at his scruples, but, gathering up the garments, followed him docilely down the hall.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was very pretty.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was very pretty.
