used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
anew
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
(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 Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
a feeling of delight at being entertained
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
for the reason that
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
embitteredverbUS /emˈbɪtərd/
past form of “embitter” — cause to be bitter or resentful
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
set up or found
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
fête
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
be the source of pain
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
lethargynounUS /ˈleθərdʒi/
a state of comatose torpor (as found in sleeping sickness)
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
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 But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
an amount of time
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
presumptionnounUS /prɪˈzʌmpʃən/
an assumption that is taken for granted
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
remindingverbUS /riˈmaɪndɪŋ/
-ing form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
your consciousness of your own identity
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She did not feel so much hurt because of his presumption.
solitudenounUS /ˈsɑːlətuːd/
a state of social isolation
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
sorrowsnounUS /ˈsɑːroʊz/
plural of “sorrow” — an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
suitedadjectiveUS /ˈsuːtɪd/
meant or adapted for an occasion or use
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But—that evening, for the first time after so long a period of lethargy, she had forgotten her sorrows a little.
tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
undressverbUS /ənˈdres/
get undressed
From this reading It was five o’clock, and she felt almost too tired to undress herself.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now that the fête was over, she began to think over it all in the solitude of her room.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She had found a little amusement, and been somewhat of her former self again, and he had embittered that innocent pleasure by reminding her that she was in a circle to which she was not suited.
