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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Read the complete chapter in order, with its original wording preserved for focused English study.
When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going. If I did, I would lose all my pleasure. It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life. I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?” “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
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Reading 22/78 · 5 reading units · Lines 106–110
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.
used as intensifiers
From this reading “I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?””
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading ““Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.”
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading “I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?””
an established custom
From this reading “It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.”
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading ““Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.”
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading “It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.”
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading “It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.”
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading “It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.”
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 a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
used as intensifiers
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
dearly loved
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
the act of departing
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
an established custom
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
go away from a place
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not at all,” answered Lord Henry, “not at all, my dear Basil.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
a relationship between two lovers
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
express in words
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
express in words
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is a silly habit, I dare say, but somehow it seems to bring a great deal of romance into one’s life.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
at the time that
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
in or at the place that
From this reading When I leave town now I never tell my people where I am going.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If I did, I would lose all my pleasure.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I suppose you think me awfully foolish about it?”
