used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
cakesnounUS /keɪks/
plural of “cake” — a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
cleverlyadverbUS /ˈklevərli/
in a clever manner
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
consistentadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪstənt/
(sometimes followed by “with”) in agreement or consistent or reliable
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
crumbleverbUS /ˈkrʌmbəl/
fall apart
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
a legal document signed and sealed and delivered to effect a transfer of property and to show the legal right to possess it
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
immediately past
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
a female domestic
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
Matilde
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
overcastnounUS /ˈoʊvərkæst/
the state of the sky when it is covered by clouds
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
rainingadjectiveUS /ˈreɪnɪŋ/
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
smalleradjectiveUS /ˈsmɔːlər/
small or little relative to something else
From this reading It had to be done cleverly, for the smaller ones seemed likely to crumble; but the large one was quite consistent.
in the near future
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Matilde received on the following morning a curious letter which surprised and startled her.
a Caucasian
From this reading She had risen before ringing for her maid, and had carefully removed the paper from the three little cakes of white stuff which she had made.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had risen at last, grey and weary of face, with heavy eyes and drawn lips, to face the deed she meant to do.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
but in spite of that
From this reading The sky was overcast, but it was not raining yet, though it soon would.
