used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
amountedverbUS /əˈmaʊntɪd/
past form of “amount” — be tantamount or equivalent to
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
asceticismnoun
the doctrine that through renunciation of worldly pleasures it is possible to achieve a high spiritual or intellectual state
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
barenessnoun
a bleak and desolate atmosphere
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
bloomnounUS /bluːm/
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
cellnounUS /sel/
A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
cleanlinessnounUS /ˈklenlinɪs/
the habit of keeping free of superficial imperfections
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
cleanlyadverbUS /ˈkliːnli/
smoothly and without difficulty; precisely and deftly
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
remove the dust from
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
Field'snounUS /fiːldz/
possessive form of “field” — a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
glitternounUS /ˈɡlɪtər/
the quality of shining with a bright reflected light
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
houseworknounUS /ˈhaʊswɜːrk/
the work of cleaning and running a house
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
Lois
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
neighborhoodnounUS /ˈneɪbərhʊd/
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
nun'snounUS /nʌnz/
possessive form of “nun” — a woman religious
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
and nothing more
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
proverbialadjectiveUS /prəˈvɜːrbiəl/
of or relating to or resembling or expressed in a proverb
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
puritynounUS /ˈpjʊrəti/
being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
an educational institution
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
vigorouslyadverbUS /ˈvɪɡərəsli/
with vigor; in a vigorous manner
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mrs. Field's cleanliness was proverbial in this cleanly New England neighborhood.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went about as usual, doing her housework slowly and vigorously.
at the time that
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading There was never any bloom of dust on Mrs. Field's furniture; there was only the hard, dull glitter of the wood.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It almost amounted to asceticism; her rooms, when her work was finished, had the bareness and purity of a nun's cell.
but in spite of that
From this reading The next morning Lois had gone to her school and her mother had not yet shown the letter to her.
