used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
alabasternounUS /ˈæləbæstər/
a compact fine-textured, usually white gypsum used for carving
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
curlverbUS /kɜːrl/
form a curl, curve, or kink
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
put on clothes
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
easy-chair
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
fanverbUS /fæn/
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
start firing a weapon
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
gloweringadjectiveUS /ˈɡlaʊərɪŋ/
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
hatedadjectiveUS /ˈheɪtəd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
held dear
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
maddeningadjectiveUS /ˈmædənɪŋ/
extremely annoying or displeasing
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
motionedverbUS /ˈmoʊʃənd/
past form of “motion” — show, express or direct through movement
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
pearlsnounUS /pɜːrlz/
plural of “pearl” — a smooth lustrous round structure inside the shell of a clam or oyster; much valued as a jewel
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
sombreadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading Against the sombre black of her dress, her neck and bosom shone like alabaster.
sternadjectiveUS /stɜːrn/
of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She played with her pearls, and looked up at him with that faint maddening curl of the lips which he so loved and so hated.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He refused the chair which she had motioned him to wheel up to the fire.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading PLAYING WITH FIRE "And now," she said, throwing herself into an easy-chair and taking up a fan, "we can talk."
but in spite of that
From this reading He stood glowering down upon her, pale, stern, yet not wholly master of himself.
