used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
(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 "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
AnnanounUS /ˈænə/
a former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading How could she be married if she didn't have a trousseau?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
bridaladjectiveUS /ˈbraɪdəl/
of or relating to a wedding
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
CarrollnounUS /ˈkærəl/
English author; Charles Dodgson was an Oxford don of mathematics who is remembered for the children's stories he wrote under the pen name Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
clothing in general
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could she be married if she didn't have a trousseau?
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could she be married if she didn't have a trousseau?
without deviation
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
a social unit living together
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
finerynounUS /ˈfaɪnəri/
elaborate or showy attire and accessories
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
a young female
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could she be married if she didn't have a trousseau?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
Ina's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
joined in matrimony
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
absolutely essential
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
sister-in-lawnounUS /ˈsɪstərɪnlɔː/
the sister of your spouse
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
trousseaunoun
the personal outfit of a bride; clothes and accessories and linens
From this reading "If a girl gets married, she has to have new clothes, of course--a trousseau."
precisely as stated
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "It is all very well to talk about Ina's being married in four weeks," said Anna Carroll to her sister-in-law, one afternoon directly after the affair had been settled.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why, yes, of course!
in the company of; together with
From this reading There had been considerable discussion among the ladies of the Carroll family with regard to the necessary finery for Ina's bridal.
an affirmative
From this reading "Why, yes, of course!
