adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
angernounUS /ˈæŋɡər/
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
arbitress
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
AsconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
backwardadverbUS /ˈbækwərd/
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
caughtverbUS /kɑːt/
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
DeathnounUS /deθ/
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
edgenounUS /edʒ/
the boundary of a surface
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
facenounUS /feɪs/
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
facingnounUS /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
fancynounUS /ˈfænsi/
something many people believe that is false
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
FatenounUS /feɪt/
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
flaxnounUS /flæks/
fiber of the flax plant that is made into thread and woven into linen fabric
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
graspverbUS /ɡræsp/
hold firmly
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
groundnounUS /ɡraʊnd/
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
half-shadowy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
handsnounUS /hændz/
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
holdverbUS /hoʊld/
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
ironnounUS /ˈaɪərn/
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
layverbUS /leɪ/
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
LifenounUS /laɪf/
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
lovelinessnoun
the quality of being good looking and attractive
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
mightyadjectiveUS /ˈmaɪti/
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
nowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
offadverbUS /ɔːf/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
pairnounUS /per/
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
passedverbUS /pæst/
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
relentlessadjectiveUS /rɪˈlentlɪs/
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
restedadjectiveUS /ˈrestəd/
not tired; refreshed as by sleeping or relaxing
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
sensenounUS /sens/
a general conscious awareness
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
shearsnounUS /ʃiːrz/
large scissors with strong blades
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
shudderinglyadverb
with a shudder
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
spinningnounUS /ˈspɪnɪŋ/
creating thread
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
spinning-wheel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
steppedverbUS /stept/
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
stoodverbUS /stʊd/
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
stretchedadjectiveUS /stretʃt/
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
succeededverbUS /səkˈsiːdɪd/
past form of “succeed” — attain success or reach a desired goal
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As she had stepped backward, one of her hands had struck against her spinning-wheel and now rested on it; with the other she had caught the edge of the table.
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
threadverbUS /θred/
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
thusadverbUS /ðʌs/
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
trailedverbUS /treɪld/
past form of “trail” — to lag or linger behind
From this reading From the spinning-wheel a thread of flax trailed to the ground; on the table lay a pair of iron shears.
trailingnounUS /ˈtreɪlɪŋ/
the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
wheelverbUS /wiːl/
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading As he stood looking at her facing him thus in cold half-shadowy anger--at the spinning wheel with its trailing flax--at, the table with its iron shears--at her hands stretched forth as if about to grasp the one and to lay hold on the other--he shudderingly thought of the ancient arbitress of Life and Death--Fate the mighty, the relentless.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
yardsnounUS /jɑːrdz/
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading She stood a few yards off with her face in shadow.
youthnounUS /juːθ/
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading The fancy passed and was succeeded by the sense of her youth and loveliness.
