used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading She was in the act of slipping into bed.
presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading She stood there magnificent in her anger and resentment.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading She was in the act of slipping into bed.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
brushingnounUS /ˈbrʌʃɪŋ/
the act of brushing your teeth
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
carpetnounUS /ˈkɑːrpət/
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
accepted or habitual practice
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
dressing-gown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She was in the act of slipping into bed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
Katherine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
fasten with a lock
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
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 Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
characterized by grandeur
From this reading She stood there magnificent in her anger and resentment.
nervenounUS /nɜːrv/
any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
not any; not one
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
plaitsnounUS /pleɪts/
plural of “plait” — a hairdo formed by braiding or twisting the hair
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
resentmentnounUS /rɪˈzentmənt/
a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading She stood there magnificent in her anger and resentment.
resourcenounUS /ˈriːsɔːrs/
available source of wealth; a new or reserve supply that can be drawn upon when needed
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was in the act of slipping into bed.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
slippingadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpɪŋ/
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading She was in the act of slipping into bed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood there magnificent in her anger and resentment.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For one second a blind terror shook her, and then all her nerve and resource returned.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She stood there magnificent in her anger and resentment.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
a special situation
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The carpet in the passage was thick, and she heard no sounds, so that the first thing which startled her was the actual opening of the door of her room, which it had not been her custom to lock.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was in the act of slipping into bed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Katherine had that instant removed her dressing-gown after the brushing of her hair, which now hung in two long plaits.
