used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
combingnounUS /ˈkoʊmɪŋ/
the act of drawing a comb through hair
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
dipverbUS /dɪp/
immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
endlessadjectiveUS /ˈendləs/
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
hairbrushnoun
a brush used to groom a person's hair
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
increasingadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkriːsɪŋ/
becoming greater or larger
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
JennynounUS /ˈdʒeni/
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
Jenny'snounUS /ˈdʒeniz/
possessive form of “jenny” — United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
lentnounUS /lent/
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
a particular point in time
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
monotonenounUS /ˈmɑːnətoʊn/
an unchanging intonation
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
past form of “pour” — cause to run
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
rattleverbUS /ˈrætəl/
make short successive sounds
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
reverienounUS /ˈrevəri/
absentminded dreaming while awake
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
securitynounUS /sɪˈkjʊrəti/
the state of being free from danger or injury
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
sharedadjectiveUS /ʃerd/
have in common; held or experienced in common
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading May sat up, wild-eyed from sleep.
soundlessadjective
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
swishverbUS /swɪʃ/
move with or cause to move with a whistling or hissing sound
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
on a floor above
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
vividadjectiveUS /ˈvɪvəd/
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
washverbUS /wɑːʃ/
clean with some chemical process
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
whisperings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
wild-eyedadjective
appearing extremely agitated
From this reading May sat up, wild-eyed from sleep.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Suddenly she sprang from her reverie, and, pulling up the blind with a rattle, flung open the window to dip her hands into the wet darkness.
winkingnounUS /ˈwɪŋkɪŋ/
a reflex that closes and opens the eyes rapidly
From this reading The wash of water through the black, soundless night, lent the little room, with its winking candle, a comfortable security.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Upstairs in the room she shared with May, Jenny sat before the glass combing her hair, while outside the rain poured down with volume increasing every moment.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The gentle breathing of May and the swish of the hairbrush joined the stream of rain without in a monotone of whisperings that sighed endless round Jenny's vivid thoughts.
