used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
basinnounUS /ˈbeɪsən/
a bowl-shaped vessel; usually used for holding food or liquids
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
a young person of either sex
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
a female human offspring
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading The house seemed quite deserted.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
Désirée
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
start firing a weapon
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
set up or found
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
fountainnounUS /ˈfaʊntən/
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
many times at short intervals
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
a young female
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
free from evil or guilt
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
and nothing more
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
Marthe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
matchesnounUS /ˈmætʃəz/
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
Mouret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The house seemed quite deserted.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
restoredverbUS /rɪˈstɔːrd/
past form of “restore” — return to its original or usable and functioning condition
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
cut with a saw
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The house seemed quite deserted.
SeminarynounUS /ˈseməneri/
a private place of education for the young
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
SergenounUS /sɜːrdʒ/
a twilled woolen fabric
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Marthe returned home, she found the doors open and the rooms empty.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
sixteenadjectiveUS /sɪkˈstiːn/
being one more than fifteen
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
terracenounUS /ˈterəs/
usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
walksnounUS /wɔːks/
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went on to the terrace, and there, at the end of one of the walks, she saw her husband playing with his daughter.
at the time that
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
which person or people
From this reading He now frequently looked after her; for this big 'innocent' girl, who was nearly sixteen, might have fallen into the basin of the fountain or have set the house on fire with matches just like a child of six.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On the day when Serge, now completely restored to health, entered the Seminary, Mouret remained at home alone with Désirée.
