used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
how long something has existed
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
agedadjectiveUS /eɪdʒd/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
(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 As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
allayingverbUS /əˈleɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “allay” — lessen the intensity of or calm
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
Queen of England and Scotland and Ireland; daughter if James II and the last of the Stuart monarchs; in 1707 she was the last English ruler to exercise the royal veto over parliament (1665-1714)
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
bitternessnounUS /ˈbɪtərnəs/
a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
bruisedverbUS /bruːzd/
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
an occurrence of something
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
compassionnounUS /kəmˈpæʃən/
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
disparitynounUS /dɪˈsperəti/
inequality or difference in some respect
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
emanating from God
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
emptiedverbUS /ˈemptid/
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
endingnounUS /ˈendɪŋ/
the end of a word (a suffix or inflectional ending or final morpheme)
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
existedverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪstəd/
past form of “exist” — have an existence, be extant
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
forgaveverbUS /fərˈɡeɪv/
inflected form of “forgive” — stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
forgivenessnounUS /fərˈɡɪvnəs/
compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
futileadjectiveUS /ˈfjuːtəl/
producing no result or effect
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
something acquired without compensation
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
GLAMOURnounUS /ˈɡlæmər/
alluring beauty or charm (often with sex-appeal)
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
insultnounUS /ˌɪnˈsʌlt/
a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
LIFE'SnounUS /laɪfs/
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
not any; not one
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
ointmentnounUS /ˈɔɪntmənt/
semisolid preparation (usually containing a medicine) applied externally as a remedy or for soothing an irritation
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
and nothing more
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
penetratedverbUS /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/
past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
pillowsnounUS /ˈpɪloʊz/
plural of “pillow” — a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
pitifuladjectiveUS /ˈpɪtəfəl/
inspiring mixed contempt and pity
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
poisonverbUS /ˈpɔɪzən/
spoil as if by poison
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
established beyond doubt
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
stored-up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
unbelievablyadverbUS /ˌʌnbəˈliːvəbli/
not easy to believe
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
welled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her heart emptied itself of poison and welled with compassion for the pitiful ending of a futile life.
in the company of; together with
From this reading LIFE'S GLAMOUR With the death of her husband, freedom had descended upon Anne like a gift of the gods.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If it had only been a case of disparity of age, no question of forgiveness would have existed at all.
a late time of life
From this reading A divine ointment, it penetrated her bruised spirit, allaying the stored-up bitterness of years.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading As her husband lay back upon the pillows, broken beyond all aid, unbelievably aged, she almost forgave the insult to her youth that their common life had proved.
