used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
any thing at all
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
bodilyadverbUS /ˈbɑːdəli/
in bodily form
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
desperatelyadverbUS /ˈdespərətli/
with great urgency
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She thought she was going to die.
dyingadjectiveUS /ˈdaɪɪŋ/
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
the act of departing
From this reading She thought she was going to die.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
HOW
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW LUCY SPENT THE NIGHT.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading HOW LUCY SPENT THE NIGHT.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading HOW LUCY SPENT THE NIGHT.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading HOW LUCY SPENT THE NIGHT.
stroveverbUS /stroʊv/
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
swellingnounUS /ˈswelɪŋ/
an abnormal protuberance or localized enlargement
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW LUCY SPENT THE NIGHT.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She thought she was going to die.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She thought she was going to die.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She did not know what it was, for she had never felt anything like it before.
at the time that
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Her grandmother could have told her that she would be a happy woman if she did not have such a swelling in her throat a good many times without dying of it; but Lucy strove desperately to hide it from her.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading When Lucy left the room, with her lover--if lover he could be called--alone in it, her throat felt as if it would burst with the swelling of something like bodily grief.
