used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
(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 The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
disposed or placed in a particular kind of order
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
besiegedadjectiveUS /bɪˈsiːdʒd/
surrounded by hostile forces
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
darkenedadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkənd/
(of fabrics and paper) grown dark in color over time
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How did it happen?"
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
a social unit living together
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
Hannah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
come to pass
From this reading "How did it happen?"
Harriet
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How did it happen?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
Jane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
Jehiel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
on one occasion
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
except for; apart from
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
sobbedverbUS /sɑːbd/
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading "Father, what was it?" sobbed Hannah Jane.
sobsnounUS /sɑːbz/
plural of “sob” — a dyspneic condition
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
characterized by or preferring solitude
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
suffocationnounUS /ˌsʌfəˈkeɪʃən/
killing by depriving of oxygen
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading It had been arranged that she was not to be seen until some sort of explanation had been given.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Father, what was it?" sobbed Hannah Jane.
which person or people
From this reading The family were all in the darkened sitting-room--all, indeed, save Harriet, who sat in solitary state in the chamber above, her face pale and her heart beating almost to suffocation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The ride home was a silent one; but once inside the house, Jehiel and Hannah Jane, amid a storm of sobs and cries, besieged their father with questions.
