used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
speak to
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
appealedverbUS /əˈpiːld/
past form of “appeal” — take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Is it that old plague-spot?" he asked.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
confessingverbUS /kənˈfesɪŋ/
-ing form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
discomfortnounUS /dɪˈskʌmfərt/
the state of being tense and feeling pain
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
psychological suffering
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
fanciesnounUS /ˈfænsiz/
plural of “fancy” — something many people believe that is false
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
giftsnounUS /ɡɪfts/
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
ignoringverbUS /ˌɪɡˈnɔːrɪŋ/
-ing form of “ignore” — refuse to acknowledge
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is it that old plague-spot?" he asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
JeromenounUS /dʒərˈoʊm/
(Roman Catholic Church) one of the great Fathers of the early Christian Church whose major work was his translation of the Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into Latin (which became the Vulgate); a saint and Doctor of the Church (347-420)
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
misunderstoodadjectiveUS /ˌmɪsəndərˈstʊd/
wrongly understood
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
not any; not one
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Is it that old plague-spot?" he asked.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
paintingnounUS /ˈpeɪntɪŋ/
graphic art consisting of an artistic composition made by applying paints to a surface
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
plague-spot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is it that old plague-spot?" he asked.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
shrinksnounUS /ʃrɪŋks/
plural of “shrink” — a physician who specializes in psychiatry
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
relating to human society and its members
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No; but he fancies he has not the address, the social gifts--in fact, he shrinks from it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her face had taken on a soft distress; her eyes appealed to him.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading She seemed to be confessing, for the other man, something that might well be misunderstood.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Jerome, ignoring the flag of her discomfort, went on painting, to give her room for confidence.
