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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
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When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one. It is like surrendering a part of them. I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us. The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.
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Reading 21/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 101–105
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading “The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.”
plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
From this reading “The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.”
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading “When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.”
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading “It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.”
the trait of keeping things secret
From this reading “I have grown to love secrecy.”
-ing form of “surrender” — give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another
From this reading “It is like surrendering a part of them.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading I have grown to love secrecy.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have grown to love secrecy.
plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)
From this reading The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.
to an exceedingly great extent or degree
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading I have grown to love secrecy.
engage in
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
of an obscure nature
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
and nothing more
From this reading The commonest thing is delightful if one only hides it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
the trait of keeping things secret
From this reading I have grown to love secrecy.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
-ing form of “surrender” — give up or agree to forgo to the power or possession of another
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
express in words
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It is like surrendering a part of them.
a special situation
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvellous to us.
at the time that
From this reading When I like people immensely, I never tell their names to any one.
