used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
adversitynounUS /ədˈvɝː.sə.t̬i/
Difficulties; misfortune and hardship faced with courage.
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
anew
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
(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 To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
anathemanounUS /əˈnæθəmə/
a detested person
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
ANDENNE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
claynounUS /kleɪ/
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
Dalroy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And long these days were, the longest Dalroy had ever known.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
enforcedadjectiveUS /enˈfɔːrst/
forced or compelled or put in force
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
at any time
From this reading And long these days were, the longest Dalroy had ever known.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
fineradjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnər/
(comparative of “fine”) greater in quality or excellence
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
gnawingverbUS /ˈnɔːɪŋ/
-ing form of “gnaw” — bite or chew on with the teeth
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
hardensverbUS /ˈhɑːrdənz/
third-person singular of “harden” — become hard or harder
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
improveverbUS /ˌɪmˈpruːv/
to make better
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
inactivitynounUS /ˌɪnækˈtɪvɪti/
the state of being inactive
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
Joos
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
justifiedadjectiveUS /ˈdʒʌstəfaɪd/
having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading And long these days were, the longest Dalroy had ever known.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
longestadverbUS /ˈlɔːŋɡəst/
for the most time
From this reading And long these days were, the longest Dalroy had ever known.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
nursedadjectiveUS /nɜːrst/
(of an infant) breast-fed
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
not used up
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
in a serious manner
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
temperamentnounUS /ˈtemprəmənt/
your usual mood
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading And long these days were, the longest Dalroy had ever known.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She became ill, almost seriously ill, and had to be nursed back into good health again during nine long days.
Verviers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To a man of his temperament, enforced inactivity was anathema in any conditions; a gnawing doubt that he was not justified in remaining in Verviers at all did not improve matters.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And long these days were, the longest Dalroy had ever known.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Hers was not the finer quality of human clay which hardens in the fire of adversity.
withaladverb
despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
a late time of life
From this reading ANDENNE Madame Joos was old for her fifty years, and heavy withal.
