used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
on or to one side
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
Blaise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Madame de Varigny?--Blaise?” she stammered.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
claspverbUS /klæsp/
hold firmly and tightly
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
flexibleadjectiveUS /ˈfleksəbəl/
capable of being changed
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, you--you might have killed her, Blaise!”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Why, you--you might have killed her, Blaise!”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
horrifiedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːrəfaɪd/
stricken with horror
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What is it?...
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it?...
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Why, you--you might have killed her, Blaise!”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
loosenedadjectiveUS /ˈluːsənd/
straightened out
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Why, you--you might have killed her, Blaise!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
pacesnounUS /ˈpeɪsɪz/
plural of “pace” — the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
reluctantlyadverbUS /rɪˈlʌktəntli/
with reluctance
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
stammered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Madame de Varigny?--Blaise?” she stammered.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
moving very fast
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Jean looked from one to the other with horrified eyes.
Tormarin's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
twistverbUS /twɪst/
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
Varigny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Madame de Varigny?--Blaise?” she stammered.
Varigny's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it?...
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, you--you might have killed her, Blaise!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading SLOWLY, reluctantly, Tormarin’s hands loosened their clasp of Madame de Varigny’s throat, and with a swift, flexible twist of the body she slipped aside and stood a few paces away from him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why, you--you might have killed her, Blaise!”
