used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
adoredadjectiveUS /əˈdɔːrd/
regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
alertnessnounUS /əˈlɜːrtnəs/
the process of paying close and continuous attention
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
antiquitynounUS /ænˈtɪkwəti/
the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
the power or right to give orders or make decisions
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
bleakadjectiveUS /bliːk/
offering little or no hope
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
boldlyadverbUS /ˈboʊldli/
with boldness, in a bold manner
From this reading Mary Compton had remained boldly.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
Chitral
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
ComptonnounUS /ˈkɑːmptən/
United States physicist noted for research on x-rays and gamma rays and nuclear energy
From this reading Mary Compton had remained boldly.
intentionally conceived
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
cunninglyadverb
in an attractive manner
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
delightfullyadverbUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəli/
in a delightful manner
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
put on clothes
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
exasperatedadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzæspəreɪtɪd/
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtəd/
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
garment's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
hatedadjectiveUS /ˈheɪtəd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
jerkedverbUS /dʒɜːrkt/
past form of “jerk” — pull, or move with a sudden movement
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary Compton had remained boldly.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
the time between one event, process, or period and another
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
MeredithnounUS /ˈmerɪdɪθ/
United States civil rights leader whose college registration caused riots in traditionally segregated Mississippi (born in 1933)
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
Rasaldû
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
on the contrary
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
ready-for-anything
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Mary Compton had remained boldly.
restrainingverbUS /riˈstreɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “restrain” — to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
revisedadjectiveUS /rɪˈvaɪzd/
improved or brought up to date
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
seeminglyadverbUS /ˈsiːmɪŋli/
from appearances alone
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
Sigrid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading She jerked her shoulders as Sigrid entered, seemingly exasperated by the garment’s stiff, restraining influence.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her evening dress, an antiquity cunningly revised, fitted her badly, as though it knew she hated it and meant to pay her out.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
uprightadjectiveUS /əˈpraɪt/
in a vertical position; not sloping
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
utilitynounUS /juːˈtɪləti/
a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
in or at the place that
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She sat upright in her chair under the lamp with a rather bleak look of authority and ready-for-anything alertness, which had made her an adored terror in the grim days at Chitral.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Rasaldû meantime, delightfully conscious of his utility, had followed Sigrid and Meredith into the room where the two women waited.
