used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
matters of personal concern
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
in addition to; as well as
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
lacking funds
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
demanding attention
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
Drayton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
fitsnounUS /fɪts/
plural of “fit” — a display of bad temper
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
incessantadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈsesənt/
uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
the act of departing
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
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 The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
LimesnounUS /laɪmz/
plural of “lime” — a caustic substance produced by heating limestone
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
and nothing more
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
outbreaknounUS /ˈaʊtbreɪk/
a sudden violent spontaneous occurrence (usually of some undesirable condition)
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
replaceverbUS /ˌriːˈpleɪs/
substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
sullenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌlən/
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the Limes the position of affairs became more terrible every day for Margaret.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
up to a particular time
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
precisely as stated
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
watchfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɑːtʃfəl/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
watchfulnessnoun
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading Mr. Drayton was always sullen, silent, and watchful, and the incessant watchfulness broke down her nerves.
at the time that
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
which person or people
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There came a day when Mr. Drayton had a very terrible outbreak with the man, who up till now had got on with him.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading She had long fits of crying, without herself being aware of it.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
women-servants
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The women-servants had left, and she could not replace them; the one woman who came by day to clean and cook (and could do neither) was the only one besides her nurse, and Margaret lived in dread of her leaving her.
