used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
(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 All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
amidstprepositionUS /əˈmɪdst/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
ChandlernounUS /ˈtʃændlər/
United States writer of detective thrillers featuring the character of Philip Marlowe (1888-1959)
From this reading All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
empty-headedadjective
lacking seriousness; given to frivolity
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
expensenounUS /ɪkˈspens/
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading Great in show and expense.
a social unit living together
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
fashionableadjectiveUS /ˈfæʃənəbəl/
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
flourishedverbUS /ˈflɜːrɪʃt/
past form of “flourish” — grow vigorously
From this reading All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
in a gradual manner
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
groovenounUS /ɡruːv/
a long narrow furrow cut either by a natural process (such as erosion) or by a tool (as e.g. a groove in a phonograph record)
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Great in show and expense.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
JacobnounUS /ˈdʒeɪkəb/
French biochemist who (with Jacques Monod) studied regulatory processes in cells (born in 1920)
From this reading All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
engage in
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
take in marriage
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
a customary way of operation or behavior
From this reading His practice had gradually increased, and he had become a great man.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Great in show and expense.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
(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 Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading All this while Jacob Chandler had flourished.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Mrs. Jacob Chandler, empty-headed, vain, and pretty, had but two thoughts in the world: the one to make her way amidst fashionable people, the other to marry her daughters well.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It was not his fault; it was that of his family: of his own will, he would never have put a foot forward out of his plain old groove.
