used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
(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 Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
backgroundnounUS /ˈbækɡraʊnd/
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
crouchedverbUS /kraʊtʃt/
past form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
emergedverbUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒd/
past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Their eyes met.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
fleetingadjectiveUS /ˈfliːtɪŋ/
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
foldsnounUS /foʊldz/
plural of “fold” — an angular or rounded shape made by folding
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/
resembling or characteristic of a phantom
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
a young female
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
immediately past
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
Louise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Their eyes met.
a particular point in time
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
and nothing more
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
Penny'snounUS /ˈpeniz/
possessive form of “penny” — a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
Identical; not different.
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
cut with a saw
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Last of all, a face, ghostly pale against the dark background, slowly emerged.
having a supporting base
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their eyes met.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
velvetnounUS /ˈvelvət/
a silky densely piled fabric with a plain back
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading An arm came into view, then the side of a human figure.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
which person or people
From this reading In that moment, through Penny's brain flashed the message that the one who crouched in the doorway was the same girl she and Louise had picked up on the road only the previous night.
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading For one fleeting instant Penny saw a girl only a little older than herself, standing half wrapped in the folds of the velvet curtain.
