used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
Amelie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lady Amelie at Home.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Lady Amelie at Home.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading If she be bad, and her beauty is simply used as a lure, the world is the worse for it.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
the qualities that give pleasure to the senses
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
circes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
fataladjectiveUS /ˈfeɪtəl/
bringing death
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading If she be bad, and her beauty is simply used as a lure, the world is the worse for it.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Lady Amelie at Home.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Lady Amelie at Home.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
lurenounUS /lʊr/
qualities that attract by seeming to promise some kind of reward
From this reading If she be bad, and her beauty is simply used as a lure, the world is the worse for it.
the force of workers available
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
by chance
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
poetsnounUS /ˈpoʊəts/
plural of “poet” — a writer of poems (the term is usually reserved for writers of good poetry)
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
established beyond doubt
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
and nothing more
From this reading If she be bad, and her beauty is simply used as a lure, the world is the worse for it.
sirensnounUS /ˈsaɪrənz/
plural of “siren” — a sea nymph (part woman and part bird) supposed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks where the nymphs lived
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
the act of using
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading If she be bad, and her beauty is simply used as a lure, the world is the worse for it.
precisely as stated
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It is perhaps quite as well that they are very rare--the power of a beautiful woman is great.
at the time that
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
belonging to which person
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading If she be good, and use it for a good purpose; the world is the better for it.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading If she be bad, and her beauty is simply used as a lure, the world is the worse for it.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading The poets of old must have been thinking of a woman like Lady Amelie when they wrote of circes and sirens, and women whose beauty has proved fatal to men.
