used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rooms were lofty and spacious.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
bronzenounUS /brɑːnz/
an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements; also any copper-base alloy containing other elements in place of tin
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
Carlota
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
carvenadjective
made for or formed by carving (“carven” is archaic or literary)
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
cornersnounUS /ˈkɔːrnərz/
plural of “corner” — a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
embroiderynounUS /emˈbrɔɪdəri/
elaboration of an interpretation by the use of decorative (sometimes fictitious) detail
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
brought together in one place
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
a young female
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
grandmother'snounUS /ˈɡrændmʌðərz/
possessive form of “grandmother” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
Grieg's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
groupsnounUS /ɡruːps/
plural of “group” — any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
intimatelyadverbUS /ˈɪntəmətli/
in a close manner
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
lampshadenoun
a protective ornamental covering for a lamp, used to screen a light bulb from direct view
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
loftyadjectiveUS /ˈlɔːfti/
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading The rooms were lofty and spacious.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
pianonounUS /piˈænoʊ/
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
prevailedverbUS /prɪˈveɪld/
past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
receptionsnounUS /rɪˈsepʃənz/
plural of “reception” — the manner in which something is greeted
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Little groups gathered intimately in corners, a girl played something of Grieg’s at the grand piano in the far room.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading The rooms were lofty and spacious.
Identical; not different.
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
sheennounUS /ʃiːn/
the visual property of something that shines with reflected light
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
spaciousadjectiveUS /ˈspeɪʃəs/
very large in expanse or scope
From this reading The rooms were lofty and spacious.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
squarelyadverbUS /ˈskwerli/
directly and without evasion; not roundabout
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It seemed to Carlota, in the first glance about her, there here prevailed something of the same spirit that had marked her grandmother’s receptions.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They passed up a carven, squarely built staircase to the second floor.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The rooms were lofty and spacious.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Her hair had a golden sheen beneath the lampshade of Chinese embroidery, bronze and yellow.
