used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
aptadjectiveUS /æpt/
(usually followed by “to”) naturally disposed toward
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
aptitudenounUS /ˈæptətuːd/
inherent ability
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
attractiveadjectiveUS /əˈtræktɪv/
pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
biteverbUS /baɪt/
to grip, cut off, or tear with or as if with the teeth or jaws
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
courtesynounUS /ˈkɜːrtəsi/
a courteous or respectful or considerate act
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
indexnounUS /ˈɪndeks/
a numerical scale used to compare variables with one another or with some reference number
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
jerkedverbUS /dʒɜːrkt/
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
JudithnounUS /ˈdʒuːdəθ/
Jewish heroine in one of the books of the Apocrypha; she saved her people by decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
gain knowledge or skills
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
a woman of refinement
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
mannerismsnounUS /ˈmænərɪzəmz/
plural of “mannerism” — a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
mimicing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
MollynounUS /ˈmɑːli/
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
moviesnounUS /ˈmuːviz/
plural of “movie” — a form of entertainment that enacts a story by sound and a sequence of images giving the illusion of continuous movement
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
nailverbUS /neɪl/
attach something somewhere by means of nails
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
scholarnounUS /ˈskɒl.ər/
A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “You never have seen me bite my index nail with that sort of charm.”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading Especially did she show her aptitude in mimicing stage girls.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
sufficedverbUS /səˈfaɪst/
past form of “suffice” — be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
typicaladjectiveUS /ˈtɪpəkəl/
exhibiting the qualities or characteristics that identify a group or kind or category
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Helen was an apt American scholar, and her short stay in the country had already sufficed for picking up an attractive list of typical mannerisms.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Madam, dinner is served,” announced Helen at the door, with the funny little jerked courtesy and her finger to her lips a la Molly in the movies.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Now, where did you learn that, Helen?” demanded Judith.
