in the past
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
(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 It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
any person at all
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
Carpentarianoun
a wide shallow inlet of the Arafura Sea in northern Australia
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
any strong feeling
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
an act that fails
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
widely known and esteemed
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
a long fixed look
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Carpentaria himself was moved.
humiditynounUS /hjuːˈmɪdəti/
wetness in the atmosphere
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
instinctsnounUS /ˈɪnstɪŋkts/
plural of “instinct” — inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
Jetsamnoun
the part of a ship's equipment or cargo that is thrown overboard to lighten the load in a storm
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
Jetsam's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
hear with intention
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Carpentaria himself was moved.
narrativenounUS /ˈnærətɪv/
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
not any; not one
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
orbs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
preoccupiedadjectiveUS /priˈɑːkjəpaɪd/
deeply absorbed in thought
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
recitalnounUS /rəˈsaɪtəl/
the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
romanticadjectiveUS /roʊˈmæntɪk/
belonging to or characteristic of Romanticism or the Romantic Movement in the arts
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
splendournoun
a quality that outshines the usual
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
Torquay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
a just detectable amount
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Carpentaria himself was moved.
at the time that
From this reading And now, when the narrative was finished, Jetsam sat silent and preoccupied, the figure of grief and of failure.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Carpentaria bent over the old woman, as if to search ‘her eyes and find some kindness there.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been impossible for anyone, least of all an artist of romantic instincts such as he, to listen to Jetsam’s recital without emotion.
a late time of life
From this reading And it seemed to him, indeed, that the character of her gaze had somewhat changed, though those brilliant orbs, famous in Torquay fifty years ago for their splendour, showed no trace of humidity.
