used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
adoptionnounUS /əˈdɑːpʃən/
the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
at or in the front
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
(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 Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come right up to my room!
DINNER-PARTY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
ecstaticadjectiveUS /ekˈstætɪk/
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
embraceverbUS /emˈbreɪs/
include in scope; include as part of something broader; have as one's sphere or territory
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
friend'snounUS /frendz/
possessive form of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I've got something lovely to tell you!"
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
a health facility where patients receive treatment
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I've got something lovely to tell you!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
JOCELYN'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
joyfuladjectiveUS /ˈdʒɔɪfəl/
full of or producing joy
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
Leonora
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
Leonora's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading I've got something lovely to tell you!"
a female domestic
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Come right up to my room!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
on one occasion
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
Polly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
radiantadjectiveUS /ˈreɪdiːənt/
radiating or as if radiating light
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
past form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Come right up to my room!
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Come right up to my room!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
slippingadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpɪŋ/
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I've got something lovely to tell you!"
express in words
From this reading I've got something lovely to tell you!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Come right up to my room!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
at the time that
From this reading Leonora's face was so radiant that Polly was all at once reminded of that morning at the hospital when she had first heard of her friend's adoption.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading JOCELYN'S DINNER-PARTY Leonora met Polly at the door, slipping ahead of the maid to catch her in an ecstatic embrace, and to let go a joyful whisper in her ear.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I've got something lovely to tell you!"
