used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
in addition
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
BLANCHE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLANCHE DORMER’S SURPRISE.
DORMER'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BLANCHE DORMER’S SURPRISE.
estrangementnounUS /ɪˈstreɪndʒmənt/
separation resulting from hostility
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading So neither spoke for several minutes.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
indisposedadjective
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
immediately past
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
Lois
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
mamanounUS /ˈmɑːmə/
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
meditatingverbUS /ˈmedəteɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “meditate” — reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
MerchantnounUS /ˈmɜːr.tʃənt/
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading So neither spoke for several minutes.
moonlight-scene
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading So neither spoke for several minutes.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
by chance
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
proprieties
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
puritynounUS /ˈpjʊrəti/
being undiluted or unmixed with extraneous material
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
remindsverbUS /riˈmaɪndz/
third-person singular of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
scoldverbUS /skoʊld/
censure severely or angrily
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading So neither spoke for several minutes.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So neither spoke for several minutes.
soundingadjectiveUS /ˈsaʊndɪŋ/
appearing to be as specified; usually used as combining forms
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading So neither spoke for several minutes.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
required or under orders
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading BLANCHE DORMER’S SURPRISE.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/
used as intensifiers
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
VenicenounUS /ˈvenəs/
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading “A night like this always reminds me of the moonlight-scene in the ‘Merchant of Venice,’” Blanche said, at length.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The peace and purity of the night indisposed Lois to talk, and Blanche was meditating on how far the proprieties might admit of her sounding her new friend on the subject of the supposed estrangement.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “I was afraid the storm would last until morning; perhaps I was also afraid mama would scold terribly.
