used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
adornedadjectiveUS /əˈdɔːrnd/
provided with something intended to increase its beauty or distinction
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
balloonnounUS /bəˈluːn/
large tough nonrigid bag filled with gas or heated air
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
BELOWprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
bestowedverbUS /bɪˈstoʊd/
past form of “bestow” — present
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
blownadjectiveUS /bloʊn/
being moved or acted upon by moving air or vapor
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
cardboardnounUS /ˈkɑːrdbɔːrd/
a stiff moderately thick paper
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
climaxnounUS /ˈklaɪmæks/
the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
duckverbUS /dʌk/
to move (the head or body) quickly downwards or away
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
embitteredverbUS /emˈbɪtərd/
past form of “embitter” — cause to be bitter or resentful
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
the point or degree to which something extends
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
fashionedadjectiveUS /ˈfæʃənd/
planned and made or fashioned artistically
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
fullestadjectiveUS /ˈfʊləst/
superlative of “full” — containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
goodwillnounUS /ˈɡʊˈdwɪl/
(accounting) an intangible asset valued according to the advantage or reputation a business has acquired (over and above its tangible assets)
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
infrequentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfriːkwənt/
not frequent; not occurring regularly or at short intervals
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
staying power
From this reading With the sixpence he had bought a balloon adorned with the legs and head of a duck fashioned in cardboard.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
periodsnounUS /ˈpɪriədz/
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
purchasenounUS /ˈpɜːrtʃəs/
the acquisition of something for payment
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
sixpencenoun
a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
subsideverbUS /səbˈsaɪd/
wear off or die down
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
timidadjectiveUS /ˈtɪmɪd/
showing fear and lack of confidence
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
unpopularitynounUS /ənˌpɑːpjəˈlerɪti/
the quality of lacking general approval or acceptance
From this reading He was passing through one of his not infrequent periods of unpopularity.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading This could be blown up to its fullest extent and then left to subside.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
which person or people
From this reading The climax had come with the gift of sixpence bestowed on him by a timid aunt, who hoped thus to purchase his goodwill.
WILLIAM
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
in the company of; together with
From this reading WILLIAM BELOW STAIRS William was feeling embittered with life in general.
