used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A PORTIÈRE WHICH INTERVENED.
ablyadverbUS /ˈeɪbli/
with competence; in a competent capable manner
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
accompanyverbUS /əˈkʌmpəni/
be present or associated with an event or entity
From this reading Madeline would accompany him.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading He was to go to Nice, and, of course, he was not to go alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
assiduousadjectiveUS /əˈsɪdwəs/
marked by care and persistent effort
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
attentionsnounUS /əˈtenʃənz/
plural of “attention” — the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
convalescencenounUS /ˌkɑːnvəˈlesəns/
gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He was to go to Nice, and, of course, he was not to go alone.
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He was to go to Nice, and, of course, he was not to go alone.
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
past form of “hasten” — act or move at high speed
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Madeline would accompany him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
INTERVENEDverbUS /ˌɪntərˈviːnd/
past form of “intervene” — get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force
From this reading A PORTIÈRE WHICH INTERVENED.
JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
Laurence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What would Laurence say to this?
Leach'snounUS /ˈliːtʃɪz/
possessive form of “leach” — the process of leaching
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
Madeline
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madeline would accompany him.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading He was to go to Nice, and, of course, he was not to go alone.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was to go to Nice, and, of course, he was not to go alone.
nursedadjectiveUS /nɜːrst/
(of an infant) breast-fed
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was to go to Nice, and, of course, he was not to go alone.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
peevishadjectiveUS /ˈpiːvɪʃ/
easily irritated or annoyed
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
PORTIÈRE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A PORTIÈRE WHICH INTERVENED.
RivieranounUS /ˌrɪviˈerə/
a coastal area between La Spezia in Italy and Cannes in France
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
express in words
From this reading What would Laurence say to this?
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What would Laurence say to this?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
hard to endure
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What would Laurence say to this?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A PORTIÈRE WHICH INTERVENED.
wiryadjectiveUS /ˈwɪri/
lean and sinewy
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Mr. West was ably nursed, he was wiry, and he struggled back to a most trying, peevish convalescence, greatly hastened by Mrs. Leach’s assiduous attentions; and early in January he was ordered off to the Riviera without delay.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Madeline would accompany him.
