used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
BeatricenounUS /ˈbiːətrəs/
the woman who guided Dante through Paradise in the Divine Comedy
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
BeenounUS /biː/
any of numerous hairy-bodied insects including social and solitary species
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
Burwood
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Somebody said this; and the phrase "caught on."
dawnedverbUS /dɔːnd/
past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
dearly loved
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading Mrs. Major was socially delightful; "so distinguished and patrician!"
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation
From this reading Mrs. Major was socially delightful; "so distinguished and patrician!"
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
home-life
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
take somebody somewhere
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
Magda
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
MajoradjectiveUS /ˈmeɪdʒər/
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Major was socially delightful; "so distinguished and patrician!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Somebody said this; and the phrase "caught on."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
outsidernounUS /ˌaʊtˈsaɪ.dər/
A person who does not belong to a particular group or community; a stranger.
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
patriciannounUS /pəˈtrɪʃən/
a person of refined upbringing and manners
From this reading Mrs. Major was socially delightful; "so distinguished and patrician!"
a human being
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
phrasenounUS /freɪz/
an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading Somebody said this; and the phrase "caught on."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
remarkingverbUS /rɪˈmɑːrkɪŋ/
-ing form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
sociallyadverbUS /ˈsoʊʃəli/
by or with respect to society
From this reading Mrs. Major was socially delightful; "so distinguished and patrician!"
a person, without saying who
From this reading Somebody said this; and the phrase "caught on."
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
TAKENadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Bee said nothing to lead to this impression; but it came into being.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
precisely as stated
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TAKEN BY SURPRISE IT had dawned upon Magda that the home-life of Beatrice Major was not quite so smooth and easy, as an outsider might imagine.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading The Burwood ladies went about, remarking one to another—"what a very distinguished person dear Mrs. Major was; so very patrician, you know!"
