1884
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
afterwardsadverbUS /ˈæftərwərdz/
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/
(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 Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
Balzac's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
British-born
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
caughtverbUS /kɑːt/
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
charactersnounUS /ˈkærəktərz/
plural of “character” — an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
chieflyadverbUS /ˈtʃiːfli/
for the most part
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
consistverbUS /kənˈsɪst/
originate
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
constructedverbUS /kənˈstrʌktəd/
past form of “construct” — make by combining materials and parts
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
continuallyadverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəli/
seemingly without interruption
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
drawingnounUS /ˈdrɔːɪŋ/
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
epigrams
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
familiaradjectiveUS /fəˈmɪljər/
well known or easily recognized
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
fatadjectiveUS /fæt/
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
favournounUS /ˈfeɪvər/
a feeling of favorable regard
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
fleshlyadjective
marked by the appetites and passions of the body
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
formnounUS /fɔːrm/
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
foundationnounUS /faʊnˈdeɪʃən/
the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
giveverbUS /ɡɪv/
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
Helier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
humournounUS /ˈhjuːmər/
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
indulgencenounUS /ˌɪnˈdʌldʒəns/
an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
Jeune's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
LadynounUS /ˈleɪdi/
a polite name for any woman
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
lazinessnounUS /ˈleɪzinəs/
inactivity resulting from a dislike of work
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
mechanicallyadverbUS /məˈkænɪkli/
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
metverbUS /met/
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
monologuesnounUS /ˈmɑːnəlɔːɡz/
plural of “monologue” — speech you make to yourself
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
moraladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrəl/
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
mostadverbUS /moʊst/
used to form the superlative
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
NaturallyadverbUS /ˈnætʃərəli/
as might be expected
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/
many times at short intervals
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
oilyadjectiveUS /ˈɔɪli/
containing an unusual amount of grease or oil
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
OscarnounUS /ˈɔːskər/
an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
practisedadjectiveUS /ˈpræktɪst/
skillful after much practice
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
proverbsnounUS /ˈprɑːvərbz/
an Old Testament book consisting of proverbs from various Israeli sages (including Solomon)
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
rememberedverbUS /rɪˈmembərd/
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
repelledverbUS /rəˈpeld/
inflected form of “repel” — cause to move back by force or influence
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
repugnancenoun
intense aversion
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
roomnounUS /ruːm/
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
saidadjectiveUS /sed/
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
sayingsnounUS /ˈseɪɪŋz/
plural of “saying” — a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
seemedverbUS /siːmd/
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
snatchesnounUS /ˈsnætʃɪz/
plural of “snatch” — a small fragment
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
societynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
someadjectiveUS /sʌm/
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/
a thing, without saying which
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
St
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
theatrenounUS /ˈθiːətər/
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
thereadverbUS /ðer/
in or at that place or location
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
timenounUS /taɪm/
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
TwonounUS /tuː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
upsidenounUS /ˈʌpˈsaɪd/
the highest or uppermost side of anything
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His appearance was not in his favour; there was something oily and fat about him that repelled me.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The snatches of his monologues which I caught from time to time seemed to me to consist chiefly of epigrams almost mechanically constructed of proverbs and familiar sayings turned upside down.
WildenounUS /waɪld/
Irish writer and wit (1854-1900)
From this reading From 1884 on I met Oscar Wilde continually, now at the theatre, now in some society drawing room; most often, I think, at Mrs. Jeune's (afterwards Lady St. Helier).
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Two of Balzac's characters, it will be remembered, practised this form of humour.
writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Naturally being British-born and young I tried to give my repugnance a moral foundation; fleshly indulgence and laziness, I said to myself, were written all over him.
