used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
antimacassarnoun
a piece of ornamented cloth that protects the back of a chair from hair oils
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
Claughton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
dearly loved
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
distressfullyadverb
with distress
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
Dorothea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
Effingham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
Emmeline
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
Emmeline's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
forestallverbUS /fɔːrˈstɔːl/
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
gravitynounUS /ˈɡrævəti/
(physics) the force of attraction between all masses in the universe; especially the attraction of the earth's mass for bodies near its surface
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
irresponsive
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
Mervyn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
moustachenounUS /ˈmʌstæʃ/
an unshaved growth of hair on the upper lip
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
notedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəd/
widely known and esteemed
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
petitionnounUS /pəˈtɪʃən/
a formal message requesting something that is submitted to an authority
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
select carefully from a group
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
be seated
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
(especially of eyes) bulging or protruding as with fear
From this reading Mervyn, starting forward to forestall her, heard the small petition, and noted Emmeline's irresponsive gravity.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
twirlverbUS /twɜːrl/
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading My dear, pray be kind," she whispered distressfully to the latter, bending close to pick up a fallen antimacassar.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Too bad of Em!" he told himself, with a little twirl of his fair moustache, to hide the smile behind it.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, here—by Emmeline—Miss Claughton, I mean.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading AFTERNOON TEA "NOW you will sit down, and have some tea," Mrs. Effingham said to Dorothea.
