used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
uttered without voice
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
ChinesenounUS /tʃaɪˈniːz/
any of the Sino-Tibetan languages spoken in China; regarded as dialects of a single language (even though they are mutually unintelligible) because they share an ideographic writing system
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
crampedadjectiveUS /kræmpt/
constricted in size
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
crouchingverbUS /ˈkraʊtʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “crouch” — bend one's back forward from the waist on down
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
Elsie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
Emily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading Her manner of speech and expression were theirs.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
fatalismnounUS /ˈfeɪtəlɪzəm/
a submissive mental attitude resulting from acceptance of the doctrine that everything that happens is predetermined and inevitable
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
featurenounUS /ˈfiːtʃər/
a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
gatewaysnounUS /ˈɡeɪtweɪz/
plural of “gateway” — an entrance that can be closed by a gate
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
immobilitynounUS /ˌɪmoʊˈbɪlɪti/
remaining in place
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
irregularadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈreɡjələr/
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
lapverbUS /læp/
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
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 Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Her manner of speech and expression were theirs.
English businessman who created a retail chain (1888-1964)
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
murmuringnounUS /ˈmɜːrmərɪŋ/
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
OccidentalnounUS /ˌɑːksəˈdentəl/
a native inhabitant of the Occident
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
Orient's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
scorchingadjectiveUS /ˈskɔːrtʃɪŋ/
hot and dry enough to burn or parch a surface
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
sealedadjectiveUS /siːld/
established irrevocably
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
semi-coma
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
ShanghainounUS /ˈʃæŋˈhaɪ/
the largest city of China; located in the east on the Pacific; one of the largest ports in the world
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Elsie was murmuring in a semi-coma, sometimes in English, but more often in Chinese.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading Her manner of speech and expression were theirs.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
stoicismnounUS /ˈstoʊ.ɪ.sɪ.zəm/
An ancient Greek and Roman philosophy holding that virtue is the only true good, and that emotional self-control leads to inner serenity.
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
theirspronounUS /ðerz/
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading Her manner of speech and expression were theirs.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her manner of speech and expression were theirs.
at the time that
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The stoicism of the children of the sunset lands was hers; the immobility of feature which marks them was sealed in her striking, irregular features.
woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It was not to sleep that Emily returned when she carried the water to Elsie of Shanghai and, crouching in the cramped space, took the woman's scorching head in her lap.
a late time of life
From this reading Occidental though she was, this woman's long, hard years in the gateways of the Far East had breathed in her the Orient's spirit of fatalism.
