used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
activitynounUS /ækˈtɪvəti/
any specific behavior
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
animationnounUS /ˌænəˈmeɪʃən/
the condition of living or the state of being alive
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading CICELY'S APPEAL.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
uttered without voice
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
a person who is in charge
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
Cicely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
CICELY'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CICELY'S APPEAL.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
Dulness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
apart from; not including
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
freshnessnounUS /ˈfreʃnəs/
the property of being pure and fresh (as if newly made); not stale or deteriorated
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
a young female
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
with gusto and without reservation
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
idlenessnounUS /ˈaɪdəlnəs/
having no employment
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
irritatingadjectiveUS /ˈɪrəteɪtɪŋ/
causing irritation or annoyance
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
langour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
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 Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
a particular point in time
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
the condition of being essential or indispensable
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
St
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
in or at that place or location
From this reading To be doing something was a necessity of her nature, and she did that something so heartily, that there was nothing irritating in her activity.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Cicely St. John was not in the least beautiful.
wearinessnounUS /ˈwɪrinəs/
temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dulness, idleness, weariness, langour were almost impossible to the girl--impossible, at least, except for the moment.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
youthfuladjectiveUS /ˈjuːθfəl/
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
From this reading The chief charm she had, except her youthful freshness, was the air of life, activity, and animation which breathed about her.
