used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
affirmednounUS /əˈfɜːrmd/
thoroughbred that won the triple crown in 1978
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
(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 Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
alteredadjectiveUS /ˈɔːltərd/
changed in form or character without becoming something else
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
being joined in close association
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
breaksnounUS /breɪks/
plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
brutallyadverbUS /ˈbruːtəli/
in a vicious manner
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
caressesnounUS /kərˈesɪz/
plural of “caress” — a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
prevent from being seen or discovered
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
defiedverbUS /dɪˈfaɪd/
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading Mother, she defied her tyrant.
having the place or position changed
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
divisible by two
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
plural of “habit” — an established custom
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mother, she defied her tyrant.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
a social unit living together
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
ignoredadjectiveUS /ˌɪɡˈnɔːrd/
disregarded
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
ill-humor
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
lavishadjectiveUS /ˈlævɪʃ/
very generous
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
for more time
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
matteredverbUS /ˈmætərd/
past form of “matter” — have weight; have import, carry weight
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
mealsnounUS /miːlz/
plural of “meal” — the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mother, she defied her tyrant.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
not any; not one
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
one's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
reducedadjectiveUS /rəˈduːst/
made less in size or amount or degree
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
regularitynounUS /ˌreɡjəˈlerəti/
a property of polygons: the property of having equal sides and equal angles
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
repelledverbUS /rəˈpeld/
inflected form of “repel” — cause to move back by force or influence
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
cut with a saw
From this reading And now he saw his household disturbed, the hours of his meals altered, his own importance reduced, his authority even ignored.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mother, she defied her tyrant.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
a source of difficulty
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
tyrantnounUS /ˈtaɪrənt/
a cruel and oppressive dictator
From this reading Mother, she defied her tyrant.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then a child breaks up the regularity of one’s habits; and he, as he affirmed, was attached to his as much as to life itself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading Now, at least, she had in this world a being upon whom she could lavish all her caresses so brutally repelled.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading But what mattered now to his young wife the ill-humor which he no longer took the trouble to conceal?
