used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
a positive feeling of liking
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
Aline's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
(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 I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
confined by bonds
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
broachedadjectiveUS /broʊtʃt/
of a cask or barrel
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
CINDERELLAnounUS /ˌsɪndərˈelə/
a woman whose merits were not been recognized but who then achieves sudden success and recognition
From this reading CINDERELLA.
couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
apart from; not including
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
O'BriennounUS /oʊˈbraɪɪn/
Irish writer (born in 1932)
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
octagonnounUS /ˈɑːktəɡɑːn/
an eight-sided polygon
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
peakedadjectiveUS /piːkt/
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
PierceverbUS /pɪrs/
cut or make a way through
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
pinchedadjectiveUS /pɪntʃt/
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
projectverbUS /ˈprɑːdʒekt/
communicate vividly
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
thinnernounUS /ˈθɪnər/
a diluting agent
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
tiesnounUS /taɪz/
plural of “tie” — neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
up to a particular time
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The summer had turned round to autumn before Lady O'Brien broached her project about Esther.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I think she waited till she had us all bound fast to her by ties of affection and gratitude.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His couch now was in Aline's octagon room, and, though the autumn was a fine one, fires were pleasant.
weakeradjectiveUS /ˈwiːkər/
comparative of “weak” — wanting in physical strength
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Things were much the same with us, except that Pierce had grown a little thinner, a little more pinched and peaked like an old man, and a little weaker every day.
