used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
BasilnounUS /ˈbæzəl/
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
burstsnounUS /bɜːrsts/
plural of “burst” — the act of exploding or bursting
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
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 A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading They each had given her death: one in guilt, one in love.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
fascinatedadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəneɪtəd/
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
gnarledadjectiveUS /nɑːrld/
used of old persons or old trees; covered with knobs or knots
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
GregorynounUS /ˈɡreɡəri/
(Roman Catholic Church) a church father known for his constant fight against perceived heresies; a saint and Doctor of the Church (329-391)
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
guiltnounUS /ɡɪlt/
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading They each had given her death: one in guilt, one in love.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
headheavy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
horror-held
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
lemonnounUS /ˈlemən/
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading They each had given her death: one in guilt, one in love.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
Nang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They each had given her death: one in guilt, one in love.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
PingverbUS /pɪŋ/
hit with a pinging noise
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
puffsnounUS /pʌfs/
plural of “puff” — a short light gust of air
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
rootsnounUS /ruːts/
the condition of belonging to a particular place or group by virtue of social or ethnic or cultural lineage
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
TEACHINGnounUS /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/
the profession of a teacher
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
verbenanounUS /vərˈbiːnə/
any of numerous tropical or subtropical American plants of the genus Verbena grown for their showy spikes of variously colored flowers
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A CHINESE TEACHING There was terrible silence between them.
weighingnounUS /ˈweɪɪŋ/
careful consideration
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
in or at the place that
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
which person or people
From this reading They looked at each other, weighing each the other--the man who had given Nang Ping life and the man who had given her shame.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
wistarianoun
any flowering vine of the genus Wisteria
From this reading Great puffs of sweet smell came in at the window where the headheavy wistaria hung and the lemon verbena crowded at its gnarled roots, and bursts of sweet sound from birds singing in the sun.
Wu'snounUS /wuːz/
possessive form of “wu” — a dialect of Chinese spoken in the Yangtze delta
From this reading Basil Gregory looked into Wu’s eyes and could not look away--fascinated, horror-held.
