used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
anew
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
(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 Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
confrontverbUS /kənˈfrʌnt/
oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
contemptuousadjectiveUS /kənˈtemptʃuːəs/
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
Coral's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “You don’t count.”
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t count.”
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
fallings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
hauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
heapedverbUS /hiːpt/
past form of “heap” — bestow in large quantities
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
huddledadjectiveUS /ˈhʌdəld/
crowded or massed together
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
inadequaciesnounUS /ˌɪˈnædəkwəsiz/
plural of “inadequacy” — lack of an adequate quantity or number
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
Justin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
Laura
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
nakedadjectiveUS /ˈneɪkəd/
completely unclothed
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
PreposterousadjectiveUS /prɪˈpɑːstərəs/
so unreasonable as to invite derision
From this reading Preposterous!
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
SinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
up to a particular time
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
trappingsnounUS /ˈtræpɪŋz/
(usually plural) accessory wearing apparel
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
underneathprepositionUS /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Since the day of her engagement she had been aware, underneath her happiness, of certain inadequacies, fallings short in herself or—was it possible?—in Justin.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Coral’s words, her look, her laughter—above all, her kindly, contemptuous laughter—haunted Laura.
but in spite of that
From this reading She heaped scorn upon the notion till it was covered up again, and yet she knew it was there, huddled away in a corner of her mind, ready at a word to shake itself free of its trappings, to confront her, a naked living fact.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You don’t count.”
