used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
bravesnounUS /breɪvz/
plural of “brave” — a North American Indian warrior
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
chateaunounUS /ʃæˈtoʊ/
an impressive country house (or castle) in France
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
complimentaryadjectiveUS /ˌkɑːmpləˈmentəri/
conveying or resembling a compliment
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
considerablyadverbUS /kənˈsɪdərəbli/
to a great extent or degree
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
disturbingadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɜːrbɪŋ/
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
dressingnounUS /ˈdresɪŋ/
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
fortunesnounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/
plural of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
grimaceverbUS /ˈɡrɪməs/
contort the face to indicate a certain mental or emotional state
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
grimacesnounUS /ˈɡrɪməsɪz/
plural of “grimace” — a contorted facial expression
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
an established custom
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
set down according to a plan
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
lesnounUS /les/
plural of “le” — a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
pardonsnounUS /ˈpɑːrdənz/
plural of “pardon” — the act of excusing a mistake or offense
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
precedingadjectiveUS /priˈsiːdɪŋ/
existing or coming before
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
ramblingadjectiveUS /ˈræmblɪŋ/
spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
shruggedverbUS /ʃrʌɡd/
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
a special situation
From this reading “It was not for him to know any thing of _les braves fortunes_ of Monsieur.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
vaguelyadverbUS /ˈveɪɡli/
in a vague way
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
valetnounUS /væˈleɪ/
a manservant who acts as a personal attendant to his employer
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
someone who visits
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He made a thousand grimaces and asked a thousand pardons for disturbing Monsieur, but the morning was considerably advanced.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He asked the ancient domestic what lady was in the habit of rambling about this part of the chateau at night.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While my uncle was dressing, he called vaguely to mind the visitor of the preceding night.
whimsicaladjectiveUS /ˈwɪmzɪkəl/
determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
in the company of; together with
From this reading The old valet shrugged his shoulders as high as his head, laid one hand on his bosom, threw open the other with every finger extended; made a most whimsical grimace, which he meant to be complimentary:
