used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
archnounUS /ɑːrtʃ/
a curved shape in the vertical plane that spans an opening
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
braenounUS /breɪ/
a slope or hillside
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
chambermaidnoun
a maid who is employed to clean and care for bedrooms (now primarily in hotels)
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
frowsyadjective
negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
glistenedverbUS /ˈɡlɪsənd/
past form of “glisten” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
Gourlay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
an established custom
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
and nothing more
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
large gregarious predatory feline of Africa and India having a tawny coat with a shaggy mane in the male
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
mid-air
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
a particular point in time
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning was of perfect stillness.
in motion
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
pailnounUS /peɪl/
a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading The morning was of perfect stillness.
posturenounUS /ˈpɑːstʃər/
the arrangement of the body and its limbs
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
slovenlyadjectiveUS /ˈslʌvənli/
negligent of neatness especially in dress and person; habitually dirty and unkempt
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The smooth round arch of the falling water glistened for a moment in mid-air.
having a supporting base
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading The morning was of perfect stillness.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
stoopingadjectiveUS /ˈstuːpɪŋ/
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
successive (without a break)
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
swashnoun
the movement or sound of water
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The morning was of perfect stillness.
washingnounUS /ˈwɑːʃɪŋ/
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading The frowsy chambermaid of the "Red Lion" had just finished washing the front door steps.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
at the time that
From this reading John Gourlay, standing in front of his new house at the head of the brae, could hear the swash of it when it fell.
in or at the place that
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading She rose from her stooping posture and, being of slovenly habit, flung the water from her pail straight out, without moving from where she stood.
