used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
the state of being absent
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
plural of “adventure” — a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful)
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
anything that covers or conceals
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
condensedverbUS /kənˈdenst/
past form of “condense” — undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
carefully weighed
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
direadjectiveUS /daɪr/
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
psychological suffering
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
Gavin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
immediately past
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
provided with artificial light
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
engage in
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
and nothing more
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/
according to the clock
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
ravelnounUS /ˈrævəl/
French composer and exponent of Impressionism (1875-1937)
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
rouseverbUS /raʊs/
become active
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
softenedadjectiveUS /ˈsɔːfənd/
toned down
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
a special situation
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
up to a particular time
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
wakingadjectiveUS /ˈweɪ.kɪŋ/
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading Her part on waking was merely to ring her bell, and so rouse Jean, for Margaret had given Gavin a promise to breakfast in bed, and remain there till her fire was lit.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To her this was to ravel the day: a dire thing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading About six o'clock Margaret sat up suddenly in bed, with the conviction that she had slept in.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE WOMAN CONSIDERED IN ABSENCE--ADVENTURES OF A MILITARY CLOAK.
love unquestioningly and uncritically or to excess; venerate as an idol
From this reading The last time it happened Gavin, softened by her distress, had condensed morning worship into a sentence that she might make up on the clock.
