used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
brocadenounUS /broʊˈkeɪd/
thick heavy expensive material with a raised pattern
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
chiffonnounUS /ʃɪˈfɑːn/
a sheer fabric of silk or rayon
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
flower-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
destroyed or killed
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
Gwendolyn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
half-dozenadjectiveUS /ˈhæfdʌzən/
denoting a quantity consisting of six items or units
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
hangingsnounUS /ˈhæŋɡɪŋz/
plural of “hanging” — decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
laceverbUS /leɪs/
spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
nurserynounUS /ˈnɜːrsəri/
a child's room for a baby
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
petal-shaped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
rufflesnounUS /ˈrʌfəlz/
plural of “ruffle” — a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
silk-shaded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
the season of growth
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
tablesnounUS /ˈteɪbəlz/
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Across them were drawn the heavy hangings of rose brocade.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
top-most
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The nursery was on the top-most floor of the great stone house--this for sunshine and air.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
at the time that
From this reading But the sunshine was gone when Gwendolyn returned from her drive, and a half-dozen silk-shaded lights threw a soft glow over the room.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading To shut out the chill of the spring evening the windows were down.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There was a lamp on the larger of the nursery tables, a tall lamp, almost flower-like with its petal-shaped ruffles of lace and chiffon.
