used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
arrestverbUS /ərˈest/
take into custody
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
assemblynounUS /əˈsembli/
a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
beauty-men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
beauty-women
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
brilliancynoun
a quality that outshines the usual
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
colouringnounUS /ˈkʌlərrɪŋ/
a digestible substance used to give color to food
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
detectsverbUS /dɪˈtekts/
third-person singular of “detect” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
put on clothes
From this reading The lady in the pearl-coloured dress!
exciteverbUS /ɪkˈsaɪt/
arouse or elicit a feeling
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
the organ of sight
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
plural of “feature” — a prominent attribute or aspect of something
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The lady in the pearl-coloured dress!
inspireverbUS /ˌɪnˈspaɪr/
heighten or intensify
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading The lady in the pearl-coloured dress!
lingerverbUS /ˈlɪŋɡər/
remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
used to form the superlative
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
not any; not one
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This lady was not one of those “beauty-women.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
pearl-coloured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The lady in the pearl-coloured dress!
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
remembrancenounUS /riˈmembrəns/
the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
singlyadverbUS /ˈsɪŋɡli/
one by one; one at a time
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lady in the pearl-coloured dress!
in or at that place or location
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This lady was not one of those “beauty-women.”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading This lady was not one of those “beauty-women.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Certainly it was a face that might well arrest the eye and linger long on the remembrance.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her features taken singly were by no means perfect, nor were they set off by any brilliancy of colouring.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
which person or people
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
belonging to which person
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading There are certain “beauty-women” as there are certain “beauty-men,” in whose features one detects no fault, who are the show figures of any assembly in which they appear, but who, somehow or other, inspire no sentiment and excite no interest; they lack some expression, whether of mind, or of soul, or of heart, without which the most beautiful face is but a beautiful picture.
