adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Sovereigns alone have more sumptuous palaces.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
balustradenoun
a railing at the side of a staircase or balcony to prevent people from falling
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
BaronnounUS /ˈbærən/
a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
borderedadjectiveUS /ˈbɔːrdərd/
having a border especially of a specified kind; sometimes used as a combining term
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
boughtverbUS /bɑːt/
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading Madame Desvarennes bought it.
bronzenounUS /brɑːnz/
an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
broughtverbUS /brɔːt/
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
carvedadjectiveUS /kɑːrvd/
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
certainlyadverbUS /ˈsɜːrtənli/
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
consentnounUS /kənˈsent/
permission to do something
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
curiositiesnounUS /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsətiz/
plural of “curiosity” — a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
dealernounUS /ˈdiːlər/
someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
Desvarennes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madame Desvarennes bought it.
finestadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəst/
superlative of “fine” — being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
FlorencenounUS /ˈflɔːrəns/
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
francsnounUS /fræŋks/
plural of “franc” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 centimes
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
Ghirlandajo
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
giveverbUS /ɡɪv/
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Sovereigns alone have more sumptuous palaces.
hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/
ten 10s
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
MadamenounUS /ˈmædəm/
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading Madame Desvarennes bought it.
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
mansionnounUS /ˈmænʃən/
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Sovereigns alone have more sumptuous palaces.
oaknounUS /oʊk/
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
palacesnounUS /ˈpæləsəz/
plural of “palace” — a large and stately mansion
From this reading Sovereigns alone have more sumptuous palaces.
RothschildnounUS /ˈrɔːθstʃaɪld/
any of family of powerful Jewish bankers in Europe
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
RuenounUS /ruː/
European strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
Saint-Dominique
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
seenverbUS /siːn/
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
Sommervieux
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
SovereignsnounUS /ˈsɑːvrənz/
plural of “sovereign” — a nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right
From this reading Sovereigns alone have more sumptuous palaces.
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
sumptuousadjectiveUS /ˈsʌmptʃwəs/
ostentatiously rich and superior in quality
From this reading Sovereigns alone have more sumptuous palaces.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
thousandnounUS /ˈθaʊzənd/
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The mansion in the Rue Saint-Dominique is certainly one of the finest to be seen.
wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The wide staircase, of carved oak, is bordered by a bronze balustrade, made by Ghirlandajo, and brought from Florence by Sommervieux, the great dealer in curiosities.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Baron Rothschild would consent to give only a hundred thousand francs for it.
