used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
any thing at all
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
awkwardnessnounUS /ˈɔːkwərdnəs/
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
barestadjectiveUS /ˈberəst/
superlative of “bare” — completely unclothed
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
beveragenounUS /ˈbevərɪdʒ/
any liquid suitable for drinking
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
BLESSINGnounUS /ˈblesɪŋ/
the formal act of approving
From this reading MISS BLESSING.
butter-milk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
deem to be
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
dissipationnounUS /ˌdɪsɪˈpeɪʃən/
breaking up and scattering by dispersion
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
every person
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
intoxicatingadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɑːksɪkeɪtɪŋ/
causing intoxication
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
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 The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS BLESSING.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
neighborhoodnounUS /ˈneɪbərhʊd/
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
not any; not one
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
win a victory over
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
sufficedverbUS /səˈfaɪst/
past form of “suffice” — be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
testifiedverbUS /ˈtestəfaɪd/
inflected form of “testify” — give testimony in a court of law
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The occasion was no more than sufficed for the barest need of human nature.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
undoubtedlyadverbUS /ənˈdaʊtɪdli/
without doubt; certainly
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
precisely as stated
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
virtuousadjectiveUS /ˈvɜːrtʃuːəs/
morally excellent
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
Warriner's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To consider the evening party at Warriner's a scene of "dissipation"—as some of the good old people of the neighborhood undoubtedly did—was about as absurd as to call butter-milk an intoxicating beverage.
(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 Anything more simple and innocent could not well be imagined.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The very awkwardness which everybody felt, and which no one exactly knew how to overcome, testified of virtuous ignorance.
