used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
ante-chamber
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
in a state of sleep
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
calmnessnounUS /ˈkɑːmnəs/
steadiness of mind under stress
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
divisible by two
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
foundationsnounUS /faʊnˈdeɪʃənz/
plural of “foundation” — the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
husband'snounUS /ˈhʌzbəndz/
possessive form of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
having much knowledge or education
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
injurynounUS /ˈɪndʒəri/
any physical damage to the body caused by violence or accident or fracture etc.
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
king'snounUS /kɪŋz/
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
loftyadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːfti/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
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 As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
loosenedadjectiveUS /ˈluːsənd/
straightened out
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
engage in
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
principlesnounUS /ˈprɪnsəpəlz/
plural of “principle” — a basic generalization that is accepted as true and that can be used as a basis for reasoning or conduct
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
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 The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
realmnounUS /relm/
a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
regainedverbUS /riˈɡeɪnd/
past form of “regain” — get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
get by special effort
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
self-commandnoun
the trait of resolutely controlling your own behavior
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
trembleverbUS /ˈtrembəl/
move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
vanishverbUS /ˈvænɪʃ/
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading The queen had been informed of the king's return, and the calmness and self-command that she had regained seemed to vanish.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading Her sense of injury loosened the weak foundations of the principles it had cost her such an effort to make her own.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
at the time that
From this reading It was already night when the queen heard her husband's voice in the ante-chamber.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading He wished to see her, he said, even if she were asleep.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As long as he remained at a distance, she felt herself secure in the lofty realm of thought; but now that he was near her, the thought of meeting him face to face made her tremble with fear.
