used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
(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 cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
arbournounUS /ˈɑːrbər/
a framework that supports climbing plants
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
cakesnounUS /keɪks/
plural of “cake” — a block of solid substance (such as soap or wax)
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
provide a cure for, make healthy again
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
dollnounUS /dɑːl/
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
take in solid food
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
gaylyadverb
in a joyous manner
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
the act of departing
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
grapesnounUS /ɡreɪps/
plural of “grape” — any of various juicy fruit of the genus Vitis with green or purple skins; grow in clusters
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
helpingnounUS /ˈhelpɪŋ/
an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
home-made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
horrifiedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəfaɪd/
stricken with horror
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
porcelainnounUS /ˈpɔːrsələn/
ceramic ware made of a more or less translucent ceramic
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
pretendedadjectiveUS /priˈtendɪd/
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
spongeverbUS /spʌndʒ/
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
express in words
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
a special situation
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
not known
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
Vanno
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But when the Prince said that in England such cakes were named "lady fingers," the cure laughed gayly, and pretended to be horrified.
at the time that
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This brought him back to his story, which, in the excitement of helping his guest to food, he had almost forgotten.
which person or people
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading The cure explained that the grapes had been grown on this arbour, and that he had them to eat and to give away, all winter.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading When the porcelain doll of a woman came back, she brought a bottle of home-made wine for Vanno, and some little sponge cakes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I was going to tell you," he went on, "of a strange thing, and a lady unknown to me, who called here.
