used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
in actual fact
From this reading "_Locked_ you—actually _locked_ you in!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
anklesnounUS /ˈæŋkəlz/
plural of “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
completely unclothed
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
bedpostnoun
any of 4 vertical supports at the corners of a bedstead
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
brutenounUS /bruːt/
a cruelly rapacious person
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
clutchedverbUS /klʌtʃt/
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
crawledverbUS /krɔːld/
past form of “crawl” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
a female human offspring
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
dumbadjectiveUS /dʌm/
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
girl'snounUS /ɡɜːrlz/
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
Hemingway'snounUS /ˈhemɪŋweɪz/
possessive form of “hemingway” — an American writer of fiction who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1954 (1899-1961)
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
Jane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
moaningverbUS /ˈmoʊnɪŋ/
-ing form of “moan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
mutelyadverb
without speaking
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
raspingadjective
unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
recitalnounUS /rəˈsaɪtəl/
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
express in words
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
a state of acute pain
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Jane Hemingway’s knees bent under her as she stood holding to the bedpost, and she slowly sank to the floor a few feet away.
VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading Virginia nodded mutely and then continued her recital.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a low, moaning sound like a suffering dumb brute, she crawled on her hands and knees to her daughter and mutely clutched the girl’s cold, bare ankles.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You say he locked you in his _bedroom_!" she said, in a rasping whisper.
