used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
DISMISSALnounUS /dɪˈsmɪsəl/
a judgment disposing of the matter without a trial
From this reading MISS SPICER RECEIVES HER DISMISSAL.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
dramanounUS /ˈdrɑːmə/
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
enactedverbUS /eˈnæktəd/
past form of “enact” — order by virtue of superior authority; decree
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
a social unit living together
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
heednounUS /hiːd/
paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading MISS SPICER RECEIVES HER DISMISSAL.
uneducated in general; lacking knowledge or sophistication
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
and nothing more
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
Lambert'snounUS /ˈlæmbərts/
possessive form of “lambert” — a cgs unit of illumination equal to the brightness of a perfectly diffusing surface that emits or reflects one lumen per square centimeter
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
Laurence
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
listlessnessnoun
a feeling of lack of interest or energy
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS SPICER RECEIVES HER DISMISSAL.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
parcelnounUS /ˈpɑːrsəl/
a wrapped container
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
prostrated
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
RECEIVESverbUS /rəˈsiːvz/
third-person singular of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading MISS SPICER RECEIVES HER DISMISSAL.
sanctionnounUS /ˈsæŋkʃən/
formal and explicit approval
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
SPICERadjectiveUS /ˈspaɪsər/
comparative of “spic” — completely neat and clean
From this reading MISS SPICER RECEIVES HER DISMISSAL.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A newspaper was in Mrs. Lambert’s hand.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading In the listlessness of a mind utterly prostrated, she had taken little heed of passing events, and of the little drama which had been enacted against the Laurence family, almost under the sanction of her own name, was entirely ignorant.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Just as she was about to lay it down, her own name, with that of Miss Spicer, astonished her into sudden interest.
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading It was an old paper which had been wrapped about some parcel at which the lady was looking.
