used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
(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 Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
attachmentnounUS /əˈtætʃmənt/
a feeling of affection for a person or an institution
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
BasilnounUS /ˈbæzəl/
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
campusnounUS /ˈkæmpəs/
a field on which the buildings of a university are situated
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
EPILOGUEnounUS /ˈepəlɔːɡ/
a short speech (often in verse) addressed directly to the audience by an actor at the end of a play
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
ListernounUS /ˈlɪstər/
English surgeon who was the first to use antiseptics (1827-1912)
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
for more time
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
possibilitiesnounUS /ˌpɑːsəˈbɪlətiz/
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
posthumousadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːstʃʊməs/
occurring or coming into existence after a person's death
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
quietnessnounUS /ˈkwaɪətnəs/
the property of making no sound
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Sometimes she wept.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
Thomasina
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Lister had begged her to stay longer, but she had felt a need for quietness.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
unsuspectedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnsəˈspektɪd/
not suspected or believed likely
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading She did not ask many questions at one time of Thomasina; they came slowly, a question or two this week, another question next month.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading Sometimes she wept.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading EPILOGUE In late August of the next year, Thomasina came slowly across the green from the Lister house toward the campus gate.
but in spite of that
From this reading Mrs. Lister had been talking about Basil; she had not yet exhausted all possibilities for conversation in his strange posthumous fame, or in his attachment to Thomasina, so long unsuspected.
