used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
availverbUS /əˈveɪl/
use to one's advantage
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
blushesnounUS /ˈblʌʃəz/
plural of “blush” — a rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
the two together, not just one
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
lacking funds
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
confessionnounUS /kənˈfeʃən/
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
craveverbUS /kreɪv/
have a craving, appetite, or great desire for
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
desultoryadjectiveUS /ˈdesəltɔːri/
marked by lack of definite plan or regularity or purpose; jumping from one thing to another
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
embarrassingadjectiveUS /ɪmˈberəsɪŋ/
hard to deal with; especially causing pain or embarrassment
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
falteringnounUS /ˈfɔːltərɪŋ/
the act of pausing uncertainly
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
forgetfulnessnoun
tendency to forget
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading Forgive me for recurring to that moment of frenzy and shame.
frenzynounUS /ˈfrenzi/
state of violent mental agitation
From this reading Forgive me for recurring to that moment of frenzy and shame.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
LancenounUS /læns/
a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
LancelotnounUS /ˈlænsəlɑːt/
(Arthurian legend) one of the knights of the Round Table; friend of King Arthur until (according to some versions of the legend) he became the lover of Arthur's wife Guinevere
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
madnessnounUS /ˈmædnəs/
obsolete terms for legal insanity
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Forgive me for recurring to that moment of frenzy and shame.
a particular point in time
From this reading Forgive me for recurring to that moment of frenzy and shame.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
and nothing more
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
on the contrary
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
recurringadjectiveUS /rɪˈkɜːrɪŋ/
coming back
From this reading Forgive me for recurring to that moment of frenzy and shame.
relapsedverbUS /riˈlæpst/
past form of “relapse” — deteriorate in health
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
To recall to mind.
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
in an unfortunate way
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
soberlyadverbUS /ˈsoʊbərli/
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Forgive me for recurring to that moment of frenzy and shame.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
Vance
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Mrs. Vance at length broke the silence in a low and very faltering voice.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading After some little desultory conversation they both relapsed into silence and walked soberly on their way.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading It was rather an embarrassing position to be placed in both for Lancelot and the handsome widow.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Lance," she murmured, "I must avail myself of this, the only opportunity I have had, to crave your pardon and forgetfulness for a confession which I too sadly remember with blushes of shame for my madness and folly.
