used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
(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 “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
Arcis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
arm's-length
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
combustibilitynoun
the quality of being capable of igniting and burning
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
conventnounUS /ˈkɑːnvənt/
a religious residence especially for nuns
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
dearly loved
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
cause to be slowed down or delayed
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
disdainverbUS /dɪsˈdeɪn/
look down on with disdain
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
employverbUS /emˈplɔɪ/
put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
at any time
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
expectsverbUS /ɪkˈspekts/
third-person singular of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
start firing a weapon
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
for a limitless time
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
the act of retaining something
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
engage in
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
the force of workers available
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
mother-superior
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
and nothing more
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
a human being
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
proceedingnounUS /prəˈsiːdɪŋ/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
ricochetverbUS /ˈrɪkəʃeɪ/
spring back; spring away from an impact
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
seekernounUS /ˈsiːkər/
someone making a search or inquiry
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
shouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
carry out
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Oh! my dear, don’t make me talk such nonsense.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
in the direction of
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
precisely as stated
From this reading “That other person is not lost to him; he expects, more than ever, to find her by the help of a very clever seeker, the mother-superior of a convent at Arcis.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Very good; then why employ the delay in holding him at arm’s-length,--a proceeding which will only draw him towards you?”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “If that were so, all the men we disdain and never think of would sigh for us.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading To take fire, a man must have some degree of combustibility; and if that _other_ person is lost to him forever, why shouldn’t he, as you said yourself, ricochet upon you?”
