used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ONLY AN INCIDENT.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
brilliantlyadverbUS /ˈbrɪljəntli/
with brightness
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
butlernounUS /ˈbʌtlər/
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
coolingnounUS /ˈkuːlɪŋ/
the process of becoming cooler; a falling temperature
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
coughedverbUS /kɔːft/
past form of “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
curtainedadjective
furnished or concealed with curtains or draperies
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
discreetadjectiveUS /dɪˈskriːt/
marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
dishesnounUS /ˈdɪʃəz/
plural of “dish” — a piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
dwellingnounUS /ˈdwelɪŋ/
housing that someone is living in
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
easy-chair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
a man of refinement
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
a single distinct event
From this reading ONLY AN INCIDENT.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
indirectlyadverbUS /ˌɪndərˈektliː/
not in a forthright manner
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
and nothing more
From this reading ONLY AN INCIDENT.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
remindernounUS /riˈmaɪndər/
a message that helps you remember something
From this reading The butler coughed behind his hand as a discreet reminder of his presence, and so indirectly of the cooling dishes.
richlyadverbUS /ˈrɪtʃli/
to an ample degree or in an ample manner
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
streamingadjectiveUS /ˈstriːmɪŋ/
exuding a bodily fluid in profuse amounts
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Mr. and Mrs. De Forest were about sitting down to breakfast, which waited for them ready served, and which indeed had been so waiting for some minutes.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
yawnedverbUS /jɔːnd/
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading The gentleman looked up from his easy-chair by the fire and yawned.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading The morning sun was streaming brilliantly in through the richly curtained windows of a handsome New York dwelling.
