used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
speak to
From this reading The square-sized envelope bore no address, no stamp, and no seal.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
cause to be bored
From this reading The square-sized envelope bore no address, no stamp, and no seal.
Clarice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could one make of such a missive?
curvedadjectiveUS /kɜːrvd/
having or marked by a curve or smoothly rounded bend
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
distinctadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋkt/
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
increase twofold
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
envelopenounUS /ˈenvəloʊp/
a flat (usually rectangular) container for a letter, thin package, etc.
From this reading The square-sized envelope bore no address, no stamp, and no seal.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
fernnounUS /fɜːrn/
any of numerous flowerless and seedless vascular plants having true roots from a rhizome and fronds that uncurl upward; reproduce by spores
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
frondsnounUS /frɑːndz/
plural of “frond” — compound leaf of a fern or palm or cycad
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
glossyadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːsi/
based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
deeply or markedly affected or influenced
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
india-rubber
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
inknounUS /ɪŋk/
a liquid used for printing or writing or drawing
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
engage in
From this reading What could one make of such a missive?
meaninglessadjectiveUS /ˈmiːnɪŋləs/
having no meaning or direction or purpose
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
missivenounUS /ˈmɪsɪv/
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading What could one make of such a missive?
moistenedverbUS /ˈmɔɪsənd/
past form of “moisten” — make moist
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
not any; not one
From this reading The square-sized envelope bore no address, no stamp, and no seal.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading What could one make of such a missive?
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
representationnounUS /ˌreprəzenˈteɪʃən/
a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
sealverbUS /siːl/
make tight; secure against leakage
From this reading The square-sized envelope bore no address, no stamp, and no seal.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
square-sized
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The square-sized envelope bore no address, no stamp, and no seal.
stampverbUS /stæmp/
walk heavily
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading What could one make of such a missive?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There seemed to Clarice to be a familiar look about this representation of a fern.
untrimmedadjective
not trimmed
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could one make of such a missive?
in the company of; together with
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
wonderfullyadverbUS /ˈwʌndərfəli/
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
the act of creating written works
From this reading The double sheet of writing paper was thick and glossy, with untrimmed edges, and on this the curved fern, with its fronds wonderfully delicate and distinct, had evidently been impressed with an india-rubber stamp, moistened with purple ink.
but in spite of that
From this reading It appeared meaningless, yet to Clarice the fern itself recalled some faint memory.
