used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It left me anxious and, in a degree, apprehensive.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
eagerly desirous
From this reading It left me anxious and, in a degree, apprehensive.
apprehensiveadjectiveUS /ˌæprɪˈhensɪv/
quick to understand
From this reading It left me anxious and, in a degree, apprehensive.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
lacking funds
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
CATULLUSnoun
Roman lyric poet remembered for his love poems to an aristocratic Roman woman (84-54 BC)
From this reading _Hinc Constantia, illinc Furor._ CATULLUS.
Constantia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hinc Constantia, illinc Furor._ CATULLUS.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading It left me anxious and, in a degree, apprehensive.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
discussionnounUS /dɪˈskʌʃən/
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
FurornounUS /ˈfjʊrɔːr/
an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
From this reading _Hinc Constantia, illinc Furor._ CATULLUS.
a young female
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
heartlessadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrtləs/
lacking in feeling or pity or warmth
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
Hinc
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hinc Constantia, illinc Furor._ CATULLUS.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
illinc
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Hinc Constantia, illinc Furor._ CATULLUS.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It left me anxious and, in a degree, apprehensive.
justifyverbUS /ˈdʒʌstəfaɪ/
show to be right by providing justification or proof
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
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 It left me anxious and, in a degree, apprehensive.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
plightnounUS /plaɪt/
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
proposalnounUS /prəˈpoʊzəl/
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
precisely as stated
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The way in which the girl broke off the discussion and went out did more than surprise me.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading If something lay behind it, some risk serious enough to justify the step on which she insisted, then I could think better of her but very much worse of my own plight.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Her proposal would have been a cruel and a heartless one if nothing lay behind it.
