used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
(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 All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
anniversarynounUS /ˌænəˈvɜːrsəri/
the date on which an event occurred in some previous year (or the celebration of it)
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
bedsidenounUS /ˈbedsaɪd/
space by the side of a bed (especially the bed of a sick or dying person)
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
assets available for use in the production of further assets
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
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 AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
consortverbUS /kənˈsɔːrt/
keep company with; hang out with
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
country-seat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
DowagernounUS /ˈdaʊədʒər/
a widow holding property received from her deceased husband
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
dyingadjectiveUS /ˈdaɪɪŋ/
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
EMPEROR'SnounUS /ˈempərərz/
possessive form of “emperor” — the male ruler of an empire
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
EmpressnounUS /ˈempres/
a woman emperor or the wife of an emperor
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
KyotonounUS /ˈkjoʊtoʊ/
a city in central Japan on southern Honshu; a famous cultural center that was once the capital of Japan
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
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 All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
messengersnounUS /ˈmesəndʒərz/
plural of “messenger” — a person who carries a message
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
Sado-ko
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All night long the little Princess Sado-ko crouched in the darkness of her room alone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
a male human offspring
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN EMPEROR’S PROMISE ON a cold morning in the month of January the Empress Dowager died.
thirtiethadjectiveUS /ˈθɜːrtiəθ/
coming next after the twenty-ninth in position
From this reading She had returned from a ceremony of the thirtieth anniversary of the death of her late consort.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Exhausted, broken, and ill, she had come back to her country-seat, her visit to Kyoto having been too much for her strength.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading That night messengers went in haste to the capital, and the following morning brought to the bedside of the dying Empress her son, the Emperor, and his consort.
