Chapter XII · The Beginning

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

higher than, or over, something

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

to or in a foreign country

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

a component that is added to something to improve it

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

(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 The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

expressive of or exciting sexual love or romance

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

possessive form of “ambassador” — a diplomat of the highest rank; accredited as representative from one country to another

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

pleasing to the eye or mind especially through beauty or charm

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

brought about or set up or accepted; especially long established

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

intense or sharp

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

recently made, produced, or harvested

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

plural of “guest” — a visitor to whom hospitality is extended

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

a native or inhabitant of Italy

From this reading The Italian ladies made polite overtures.

having very keen vision

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman

From this reading The Italian ladies made polite overtures.

a polite name for any woman

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

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 Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The Italian ladies made polite overtures.

past form of “matter” — have weight; have import, carry weight

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

freedom from vanity or conceit

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

an open or empty space in or between things

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

plural of “overture” — orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio

From this reading The Italian ladies made polite overtures.

an organization to gain political power

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.

From this reading The Italian ladies made polite overtures.

the particular portion of space occupied by something

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the act of singing vocal music

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

term of address for a man

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

happening or arising without apparent external cause

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

distribute or disperse widely

From this reading The guests spread her fame abroad, her beauty, modesty, fresh spontaneous charm, and above all, her exquisite singing.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Not that the modesty was likely to blind the keen-sighted, laughing Neapolitans to her ambiguous position in the Ambassador’s house.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

a successful ending of a struggle or contest

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading THAT dinner party was the opening of her triumph.

(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 Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

in or at the place that

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

a tiny or scarcely detectable amount

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

possessive form of “williams” — United States country singer and songwriter (1923-1953)

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.

(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability

From this reading Sir William’s amatory character was far too well established, but nothing could have mattered less in that land of easy pleasure, and neither she nor Sir William were thought a whit the worse in a city where every attractive woman had at least one _cavaliere servente_, in addition to a husband in attendance on some other lady.