used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
(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 That is, all but one.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
Binner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading That is, all but one.
recognizable; marked
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
denudedadjectiveUS /dɪˈnuːdɪd/
without the natural or usual covering
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
efficientadjectiveUS /ɪˈfɪʃənt/
being effective without wasting time or effort or expense
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
envelopenounUS /ˈenvəloʊp/
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
envelopesnounUS /ˈenvəloʊps/
plural of “envelope” — a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
exasperatinglyadverb
in an exasperating manner
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
exudedverbUS /ɪɡˈzuːdɪd/
past form of “exude” — release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
feminineadjectiveUS /ˈfemənən/
associated with women and not with men
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
infantileadjectiveUS /ˈɪnfəntɪl/
indicating a lack of maturity
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is, all but one.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
the literary culture
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
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 When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
mailnounUS /meɪl/
the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
MontrealnounUS /ˌmʌntriˈɔːl/
a city in southern Quebec province on the Saint Lawrence River; the largest city in Quebec and 2nd largest in Canada; the 2nd largest French-speaking city in the world
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
neatlyadverbUS /ˈniːtli/
with neatness
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That is, all but one.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
a light shade of red
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
postmarkedverbUS /ˈpoʊstmɑːrkt/
past form of “postmark” — stamp with a postmark to indicate date and time of mailing
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
Rodrigo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
scentnounUS /sɛnt/
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading The envelope was pale pink and exuded a faint feminine scent.
scrawly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
Sophie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was addressed in the scrawly, infantile hand of Sophie Binner and was postmarked Montreal.
spinsternounUS /ˈspɪnstər/
an elderly unmarried woman
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
tamperverbUS /ˈtæmpər/
play around with or alter or falsify, usually secretively or dishonestly
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is, all but one.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
at the time that
From this reading When Rodrigo reached his office the next morning, his exasperatingly efficient spinster secretary had long since opened his mail and had the letters, neatly denuded of their envelopes, upon his desk.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had evidently decided that this one was of too private a nature for her to tamper with.
