used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But I feel so dreadfully cold and shivery!"
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
blazenounUS /bleɪz/
a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I feel so dreadfully cold and shivery!"
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading "I hope you have not taken a chill.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading But I feel so dreadfully cold and shivery!"
crouchverbUS /kraʊtʃ/
bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
dearly loved
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
DEATH'SnounUS /deθs/
possessive form of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
drawing-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
dreadfullyadverbUS /ˈdredfəli/
of a dreadful kind
From this reading But I feel so dreadfully cold and shivery!"
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading But I feel so dreadfully cold and shivery!"
start firing a weapon
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
a young female
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "I hope you have not taken a chill.
hearthrugnoun
a rug spread out in front of a fireplace
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
Holcroft
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope you have not taken a chill.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
kneelingnounUS /ˈniːlɪŋ/
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
MARIGOLDnounUS /ˈmerəɡoʊld/
any of various tropical American plants of the genus Tagetes widely cultivated for their showy yellow or orange flowers
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
outstretchedadjectiveUS /aʊtˈstretʃt/
fully extended especially in length
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
shiveryadjective
cold enough to cause shivers
From this reading But I feel so dreadfully cold and shivery!"
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
speakernounUS /ˈspiːkər/
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "I hope you have not taken a chill.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
(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 MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
which person or people
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why do you crouch over the fire like that?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading The little girl, who was kneeling on the drawing-room hearthrug with her hands outstretched to the blaze, turned her face to the speaker—Miss Holcroft—with a smile as she answered— "I am quite well, thank you, Aunt Mary—at least I think so.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading MARIGOLD AT DEATH'S DOOR "MARIGOLD, are you not well, my dear?
