used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
pleasantly occupied
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
ballsnounUS /bɔːlz/
plural of “ball” — round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
conventnounUS /ˈkɑːnvənt/
a religious residence especially for nuns
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
costumesnounUS /kɑːˈstuːmz/
plural of “costume” — the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
put on clothes
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
at any time
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
something many people believe that is false
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
gypsynounUS /ˈdʒɪpsi/
a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
HessenounUS /hes/
Swiss writer (born in Germany) whose novels and poems express his interests in eastern spiritual values (1877-1962)
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
HoodnounUS /hʊd/
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
immenselyadverbUS /ˌɪˈmensli/
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
nunnounUS /nʌn/
a woman religious
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
scampish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
selectionnounUS /səˈlekʃən/
the act of choosing or selecting
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
stoutest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
Sunday-school
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
teachingnounUS /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/
the profession of a teacher
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "That gypsy queen looked as if she ought to be teaching a Sunday-school," he told Hesse afterward.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity
From this reading He could not at all understand the principle of selection on which the different girls had chosen their various characters.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Uncle was immensely amused by the costumes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
any of various predatory carnivorous canine mammals of North America and Eurasia that usually hunt in packs
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading "Little Red Riding Hood was too big for her wolf; and as for that scampish little nun of yours, I don't believe the stoutest convent ever built could hold her in for half a day."
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading He recalled the fancy balls of his youth, and gave the party some ideas on dress which had never occurred to any of them before.
