used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
absurdlyadverbUS /əbˈsɜːrdli/
in an absurd manner or to an absurd degree
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They are merely useless ornaments.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
BEATRICEnounUS /ˈbiːətrəs/
the woman who guided Dante through Paradise in the Divine Comedy
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
compassionnounUS /kəmˈpæʃən/
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
consistsverbUS /kənˈsɪsts/
third-person singular of “consist” — originate
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
curvesnounUS /kɜːrvz/
plural of “curve” — the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
embonpointnoun
the bodily property of being well rounded
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
EMILY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
a feeling of excitement
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
divisible by two
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
at any time
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
exciteverbUS /ɪkˈsaɪt/
arouse or elicit a feeling
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
fataladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtəl/
bringing death
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
maintainverbUS /meɪnˈteɪn/
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
malenounUS /meɪl/
an animal that produces gametes (spermatozoa) that can fertilize female gametes
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
and nothing more
From this reading They are merely useless ornaments.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
not any; not one
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
ornamentsnounUS /ˈɔːrnəmənts/
plural of “ornament” — something used to beautify
From this reading They are merely useless ornaments.
persuadingverbUS /pərˈsweɪdɪŋ/
-ing form of “persuade” — win approval or support for
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
plumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
POLESnounUS /poʊlz/
plural of “pole” — a long (usually round) rod of wood or metal or plastic
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
roundedadjectiveUS /ˈraʊndəd/
curving and somewhat round in shape rather than jagged
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
have in common
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
and nothing more
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
superfluousadjectiveUS /ˈsuːpərflwʌs/
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I maintain that they have not even good figures.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
very small
From this reading As for their plump limbs and absurdly tiny feet, they excite my compassion.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading FROM MISS BEATRICE POLES TO MISS EMILY—— "No, I shall never share the enthusiasm of my male companions for these three creatures.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading They are merely useless ornaments.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Nobody will ever succeed in persuading me that beauty of form in a woman, consists of all those rounded curves, that _embonpoint_, that superfluous flesh which is simply fatal to all walking.
