used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
acuteadjectiveUS /əˈkjuːt/
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
any thing at all
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was older than she was by full ten years.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
demanding attention
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
disorderedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsɔːrdərd/
thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
exquisiteadjectiveUS /ˈekskwəzət/
intense or sharp
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading He was older than she was by full ten years.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
HullnounUS /hʌl/
dry outer covering of a fruit or seed or nut
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
indescribablyadverb
to an inexpressible degree
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
joiningnounUS /ˈdʒɔɪnɪŋ/
the act of bringing two things into contact (especially for communication)
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
used to form the superlative
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
not any; not one
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading He was older than she was by full ten years.
and nothing more
From this reading He only watched her.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
patheticadjectiveUS /pəˈθetɪk/
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
readersnounUS /ˈriːdərz/
plural of “reader” — a person who enjoys reading
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
only a very short time before
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
scrutinynounUS /ˈskruːtəni/
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading He was older than she was by full ten years.
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was older than she was by full ten years.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading He only watched her.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading He and she stood in a room in an inn in the town of Hull--and how she wept!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
wiseradjectiveUS /ˈwaɪzər/
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading Crying as a child cries, with a woman's feelings joining exquisite pain to those tears; which tears, in a way wonderful and peculiar to beautiful women, scarcely disordered her face, or gave anything worse to her countenance than an indescribably pathetic tenderness.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And if the most acute of my readers had watched _him_, they would have been no wiser for their scrutiny.
a late time of life
From this reading He was older than she was by full ten years.
