used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
Albemarle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
(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 Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
amiabilitynounUS /ˌeɪmiəˈbɪləti/
a cheerful and agreeable mood
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
assistantnounUS /əˈsɪstənt/
a person who contributes to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
catalogueverbUS /ˈkætəlɔːɡ/
make an itemized list or catalog of; classify
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
circulatedverbUS /ˈsɜːrkjəleɪtɪd/
past form of “circulate” — become widely known and passed on
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
criticsnounUS /ˈkrɪtɪks/
plural of “critic” — a person who is professionally engaged in the analysis and interpretation of works of art
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was Press Day.
ducaladjectiveUS /ˈduːkəl/
of or belonging to or suitable for a duke
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
eavesdroppingverbUS /ˈiːvzdrɑːpɪŋ/
inflected form of “eavesdrop” — listen without the speaker's knowledge
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
explanatoryadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsplænətɔːri/
serving or intended to explain or make clear
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading “Very strong,” Mr. Albemarle kept repeating, “very strong indeed!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Press Day.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “Very strong,” Mr. Albemarle kept repeating, “very strong indeed!”
Lypiatt's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
the force of workers available
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
prefacenounUS /ˈprefəs/
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading It was Press Day.
pretendverbUS /priˈtend/
make believe with the intent to deceive
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
repeatingnounUS /rɪˈpiːtɪŋ/
the act of doing or performing again
From this reading “Very strong,” Mr. Albemarle kept repeating, “very strong indeed!”
express in words
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
strainingnounUS /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/
an intense or violent exertion
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “Very strong,” Mr. Albemarle kept repeating, “very strong indeed!”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
hard to endure
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/
in a vague way
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Very strong,” Mr. Albemarle kept repeating, “very strong indeed!”
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Lypiatt’s pictures hung on the walls, and Lypiatt’s catalogue, thick with its preface and its explanatory notes, was in all hands.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Press Day.
wasn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The critics had begun to arrive; Mr. Albemarle circulated among them with a ducal amiability.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young assistant hovered vaguely about, straining to hear what the great men had to say and trying to pretend that he wasn’t eavesdropping.
