used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
autocratnounUS /ˈɔːtəkræt/
a cruel and oppressive dictator
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
awkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/
causing inconvenience
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
ceremonialnounUS /ˌserəˈmoʊniəl/
a formal event performed on a special occasion
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
circumscribedadjectiveUS /ˌsɜːrkəmˈskraɪbd/
subject to limits or subjected to limits
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
decentlyadverbUS /ˈdiːsəntli/
in a decent manner
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
doyennenounUS /ˌdɔɪˈen/
a woman who is the senior member of a group
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
elaborateadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæbrət/
marked by complexity and richness of detail
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
hamperingverbUS /ˈhæmpərɪŋ/
-ing form of “hamper” — prevent the progress or free movement of
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
not any; not one
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
and nothing more
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
other's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
RubynounUS /ˈruːbi/
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
only a very short time before
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
Sên
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
Sêns
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
TinnounUS /tɪn/
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
Tin's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
todaynounUS /təˈdeɪ/
the present time or age
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
toiletnounUS /ˈtɔɪlət/
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Their meeting was only decently ceremonial, and Madame Sên had made no elaborate and hampering toilet today.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
unembarrassing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If the meeting was not awkward, it was badly circumscribed.
accept gladly
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
Ya
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ya Tin knew not a word of the other’s tongue, and Sên Ruby scarcely a score of Ya Tin’s.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The Chinese doyenne and autocrat of the Sêns and the young English wife of the house met two days later.
used of the younger of two persons of the same name especially used to distinguish a son from his father
From this reading She was a sensible old creature and did the little she could to give the younger and so foreign woman a friendly and unembarrassing welcome.
