used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
(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 She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading I am always hard on the women with lovely children.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am always hard on the women with lovely children.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
for the reason that
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
confideverbUS /kənˈfaɪd/
reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
doorstepsnounUS /ˈdɔːrsteps/
plural of “doorstep” — the sill of a door; a horizontal piece of wood or stone that forms the bottom of a doorway and offers support when passing through a doorway
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
envynounUS /ˈenvi/
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading I am always hard on the women with lovely children.
the emotion of intense dislike; a feeling of dislike so strong that it demands action
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
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 knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
full of life and energy
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
malicenounUS /ˈmæləs/
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
observationsnounUS /ˌɑːbzərˈveɪʃənz/
plural of “observation” — the act of making and recording a measurement
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
not divisible by two
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
reflectionsnounUS /rɪˈflekʃənz/
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
express in words
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
swarmsnounUS /swɔːrmz/
plural of “swarm” — a moving crowd
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And on another occasion she said: "They have such lovely children here, and such swarms of them.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
uncharitableness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
washverbUS /wɑːʃ/
clean with some chemical process
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
which person or people
From this reading People say it is envy, hatred, malice, and all uncharitableness, that makes me so; but it really is because I think women who have nice children should be better than other women.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I am always hard on the women with lovely children.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "On Sunday morning all the women wash their doorsteps," she told me; "I think it is part of their religion."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She knew the poor of the place well, and took a lively interest in all that concerned them; and occasionally she would confide some of her own odd observations and reflections to me.
