used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His build was slim and clean-cut.
athleticadjectiveUS /æθˈletɪk/
relating to or befitting athletics or athletes
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
breadthnounUS /bredθ/
the capacity to understand a broad range of topics
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
make by combining materials and parts
From this reading His build was slim and clean-cut.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
clean-cutadjective
neat and smart in appearance
From this reading His build was slim and clean-cut.
clothing in general
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
hipsnounUS /hɪps/
plural of “hip” — either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His build was slim and clean-cut.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
loosenessnoun
frequent and watery bowel movements; can be a symptom of infection or food poisoning or colitis or a gastrointestinal tumor
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
Missionernoun
someone sent on a mission--especially a religious or charitable mission to a foreign country
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
by chance
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
sicknessnounUS /ˈsɪknəs/
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
slimadjectiveUS /slɪm/
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading His build was slim and clean-cut.
slimnessnoun
a small margin
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
not in physical motion
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
a state of acute pain
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
talleradjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlər/
comparative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
unnaturallyadverbUS /ənˈnætʃərəli/
in an unnatural way
From this reading His hands were unnaturally thin, and in his face still hovered the shadows of sickness and of mental suffering.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His build was slim and clean-cut.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His shoulders were of good breadth, his waist and hips of an athletic slimness.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He was perhaps five feet ten inches in height, which was four inches taller than the Little Missioner.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But his clothes hung with a certain looseness.
