used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
aperturenounUS /ˈæpərtʃər/
a device that controls amount of light admitted
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
barredadjectiveUS /bɑːrd/
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
carpetedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːrpətɪd/
covered with or as if with carpeting or with carpeting as specified; often used in combination
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
cellnounUS /sel/
A small stone room in a prison where an inmate is locked behind iron bars.
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
chintz-curtained
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
the first light of day
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
habitualadjectiveUS /həˈbɪtʃuːəl/
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
homelikeadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊmlaɪk/
having a feeling of home; cozy and comfortable
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
LydianounUS /ˈlɪdiə/
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
roaringnounUS /ˈrɔːrɪŋ/
a deep prolonged loud noise
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It seemed less familiar to her, less homelike, than her cell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she remembered she was at home; the roaring was the habitual sound of a great city; the room was the room she had had since she was a child.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
unaccountableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbəl/
not to be accounted for or explained
From this reading She had been aware for some time of a strange unaccountable roaring in her ears.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading She looked about her, surprised to see that the light of dawn was not falling through a tall barred aperture at the head of her bed, but was coming across a wide carpeted room from two chintz-curtained windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
wokeverbUS /woʊk/
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading The next morning at the regular prison hour Lydia woke with a start.
