Chapter XXVII

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

perfect or complete or pure

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

acted upon; influenced

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

(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 At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

-ing form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

-ing form of “avoid” — stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

next to; at the side of

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

a person of European descent born in the West Indies or Latin America

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

in a dejected manner

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

the act of refusing to comply (as with a request)

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

wanted intensely

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

an effort that is inconvenient

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

discovered or determined by scientific observation

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

plural of “eccentricity” — strange and unconventional behavior

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

-ing form of “express” — give expression to

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

set up or found

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

any woman who serves as a sponsor for a child at baptism

From this reading "And what is that cause, godmother?"

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

indecision in speech or action

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

formal systematic questioning

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "And what is that cause, godmother?"

and nothing more

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

properly deserved

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the act of obeying; dutiful or submissive behavior with respect to another person

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

an event that occurs at a critical time

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

past form of “persuade” — win approval or support for

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

give an incentive for action

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

used of the degree of something undesirable e.g. pain or weather

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

a request to be present

From this reading "Iris," said she, dejectedly, as the Creole stood beside her, in prompt obedience to her summons,--"Iris, M. de Hansfeld has just left me.

status with respect to the relations between people or groups

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "And what is that cause, godmother?"

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

by that means or because of that

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading At length she persuaded herself she had found the means of avoiding this difficulty.

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

a fact that has been verified

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading At length I have discovered the cause of all those eccentricities on his part, which made me fear his reason was affected."

used to ask for information about something

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE INTERROGATORY Madame de Hansfeld felt some hesitation as to the manner in which she should commence the conversation, with a view to arriving at the truth of what she desired to know: by expressing herself in terms of severity, however merited, she feared to alarm Iris, and thereby occasion an obstinate silence or absolute denial.