used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
abuseverbUS /əˈbjuːs/
treat badly
From this reading Besides, to speak, was it not to abuse Marius’s confidence.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
(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 He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
in addition to; as well as
From this reading Besides, to speak, was it not to abuse Marius’s confidence.
confined by bonds
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading Besides, to speak, was it not to abuse Marius’s confidence.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
recognizable; marked
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
explanationsnounUS /ˌekspləˈneɪʃənz/
plural of “explanation” — a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
Gilberte
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
indecision in speech or action
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
indiscretionnounUS /ˌɪndɪˈskreʃən/
the trait of being injudicious
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
issueverbUS /ˈɪʃuː/
prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Besides, to speak, was it not to abuse Marius’s confidence.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
immediately past
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
engage in
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
Marius's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
Mlle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Besides, to speak, was it not to abuse Marius’s confidence.
noughtnoun
a mathematical element that when added to another number yields the same number
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
and nothing more
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
causing physical or psychological pain
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
perilsnounUS /ˈperəlz/
plural of “peril” — a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
participate in games or sport
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
projectsnounUS /ˈprɑːdʒekts/
plural of “project” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
protractedadjectiveUS /proʊˈtræktɪd/
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
express in speech
From this reading Besides, to speak, was it not to abuse Marius’s confidence.
sufficeverbUS /səˈfaɪs/
be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading How could she expect another to keep a secret she had been unable to keep herself?
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He had said enough to make her understand all its perils, and that a single indiscretion might suffice to set at nought the result of many months’ labor and patience.
vaguestadjectiveUS /ˈveɪɡɪst/
superlative of “vague” — not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
vouchsafeverb
grant in a condescending manner
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Mlle. Gilberte was thinking, too, of Marius’s projects; of that terrible game he was about to play, the issue of which was to decide their fate.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At last, after protracted and painful hesitation, she decided that she was bound to silence, and that she would only vouchsafe the vaguest explanations.
