used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
absurditynounUS /əbˈsɜːrdəti/
a message whose content is at variance with reason
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
(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 Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He it was who spoke most, and most coherently, at table.
coherentlyadverbUS /koʊˈhiːrəntli/
in a coherent manner
From this reading He it was who spoke most, and most coherently, at table.
dinner-bell
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
Dr
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
elementsnounUS /ˈeləmənts/
violent or severe weather (viewed as caused by the action of the four elements)
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
excessnounUS /ˈekses/
a quantity much larger than is needed
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
Gaston
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
grossnessnoun
the quality of lacking taste and refinement
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
humorouslyadverbUS /ˈhjuːmərəsli/
in a humorous manner
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
Julien
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
matteredverbUS /ˈmætərd/
past form of “matter” — have weight; have import, carry weight
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
mixturenounUS /ˈmɪkstʃər/
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
moodsnounUS /muːdz/
plural of “mood” — a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
used to form the superlative
From this reading He it was who spoke most, and most coherently, at table.
neighboursnounUS /ˈneɪbərz/
plural of “neighbour” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
observantadjectiveUS /əbˈzɜːrvənt/
paying close attention especially to details
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
prevailedverbUS /prɪˈveɪld/
past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He it was who spoke most, and most coherently, at table.
not in physical motion
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
swaggered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He it was who spoke most, and most coherently, at table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
VermontnounUS /vərˈmɑːnt/
a state in New England
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Julien and Gaston swaggered a little, and their faces were pale and excited.
at the time that
From this reading When the dinner-bell rang, Dr. Vermont appeared still smiling and humorously observant.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Man in all his moods, he insisted, was a mixture of grossness and absurdity, and it mattered little which of the two elements prevailed.
which person or people
From this reading He it was who spoke most, and most coherently, at table.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The one excess worked mischief for himself, and the other mischief for his neighbours.
