used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
adulterousadjectiveUS /əˈdʌltərəs/
characterized by adultery
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
arrangementnounUS /ərˈeɪndʒmənt/
the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
benignlyadverbUS /bəˈnaɪnli/
in a benign manner
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
breastsnounUS /brests/
plural of “breast” — the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
cascadeverbUS /kæˈskeɪd/
rush down in big quantities, like a cascade
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
dizzyadjectiveUS /ˈdɪzi/
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
be identical or equivalent to
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
exoticadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɑːtɪk/
being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
gleenounUS /ɡliː/
great merriment
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
coins made of gold
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
he'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
Hebraicadjective
of or relating to the language of the Hebrews
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
nipplesnounUS /ˈnɪpəlz/
plural of “nipple” — the small projection of a mammary gland
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
off-balance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
perfumenounUS /pərˈfjuːm/
a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
piercingadjectiveUS /ˈpɪrsɪŋ/
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
plungingverbUS /ˈplʌndʒɪŋ/
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
preventedverbUS /prɪˈventɪd/
past form of “prevent” — keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
skirtsnounUS /skɜːrts/
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
smelledverbUS /smeld/
past form of “smell” — inhale the odor of; perceive by the olfactory sense
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
SternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
storedverbUS /stɔːrd/
past form of “store” — keep or lay aside for future use
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
strangenessnounUS /ˈstreɪndʒnəs/
unusualness as a consequence of not being well known
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
summoningnounUS /ˈsʌmənɪŋ/
calling up supposed supernatural forces by spells and incantations
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
therebyadverbUS /ˈðerˈbaɪ/
by that means or because of that
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
thiefnounUS /θiːf/
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading For hours he stayed upon her, expecting an exotic perfume he'd dreamed about to cascade from her bosom.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
which person or people
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading They were large, his wife's were small, and he stored up each minute as though it were gold.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Stern stayed at her breasts like a thief, dizzy with adulterous glee.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The off-balance arrangement of her nipples prevented him from plunging on further; he was afraid there would be equal strangeness beneath her skirts.
intense anger (usually on an epic scale)
From this reading Then, too, the room smelled old and religious and Stern imagined himself piercing her and thereby summoning up the wrath of ancient Hebraic gods, ones who would sleep benignly as long as he stayed above the waist.
