used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you thinking of, Jamie?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
backgammonnounUS /ˈbækɡæmən/
a board game for two players; pieces move according to throws of the dice
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
have
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
divined
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "When do you think of getting married, Jamie?"
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading "When do you think of getting married, Jamie?"
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
Jamie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What are you thinking of, Jamie?"
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
joined in matrimony
From this reading "When do you think of getting married, Jamie?"
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Nothing!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What are you thinking of, Jamie?"
ParsonsnounUS /ˈpɑːrsənz/
United States sociologist (1902-1979)
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
preciselyadverbUS /prɪˈsaɪsli/
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
with speed
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
shynessnounUS /ˈʃaɪnəs/
a feeling of fear of embarrassment
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
express in speech
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "When do you think of getting married, Jamie?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "What are you thinking of, Jamie?"
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I?" he answered, looking up quickly, as though afraid that his secret had been divined.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you thinking of, Jamie?"
at the time that
From this reading "When do you think of getting married, Jamie?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Parsons put the backgammon board away, making up her mind to speak, for she too suffered from a shyness which made the subjects she had nearest at heart precisely those that she could least bear to talk about.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you thinking of, Jamie?"
