used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
a feeling of delighted approval and liking
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
adroitnessnoun
skillful performance or ability without difficulty
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/
feeling or showing anger
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
aughtnounUS /ɔːt/
a quantity of no importance
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
the two together, not just one
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
wanted intensely
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
divisible by two
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
at any time
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
hauntsnounUS /hɔːnts/
plural of “haunt” — a frequently visited place
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
Hilda
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
impressiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpresɪv/
making a strong or vivid impression
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
intenselyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈtensli/
to a high degree; extremely; in high concentration or density
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
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 SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
SarahnounUS /ˈserə/
(Old Testament) the wife of Abraham and mother of Isaac
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She both intensely desired and intensely feared his return.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
precisely as stated
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
viciousadjectiveUS /ˈvɪʃəs/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading A phrase or two of an angry and vicious servant had almost destroyed her faith in her husband.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Hilda waited, sitting on the bed, for George to come back from his haunts in the town.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading It seemed very strange, even to her, that this should be so; and she wondered whether she had ever had a real faith in him, whether--passion apart--her feeling for him had ever been aught but admiration of his impressive adroitness.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading SOME SECRET HISTORY I Without a word, Sarah had left the bedroom.
