Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

(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 The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

a youthful male person

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain

From this reading The children hid their faces in her skirts for comfort.

plural of “curl” — a round shape formed by a series of concentric circles (as formed by leaves or flower petals)

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

psychological suffering

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The children hid their faces in her skirts for comfort.

possessive form of “girl” — a young female

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

inflected form of “hide” — prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading The children hid their faces in her skirts for comfort.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

-ing form of “intertwine” — spin, wind, or twist together

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

a boy or man

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

indistinct enunciation

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

the back side of the neck

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

plural of “prayer” — the act of communicating with a deity (especially as a petition or in adoration or contrition or thanksgiving)

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

From this reading They were very quiet.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist

From this reading The children hid their faces in her skirts for comfort.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were very quiet.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

precisely as stated

From this reading They were very quiet.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading They were very quiet.

at the time that

From this reading When they had put on their nightdresses, they said their prayers, the boy mumbling.

which person or people

From this reading The mother looked down at them, at the brown silken bush of intertwining curls in the nape of the girl’s neck, at the little black head of the lad, and her heart burst with anger at their father who caused all three such distress.

past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.

in the company of; together with

From this reading The children had their hands and faces wiped with a flannel.