used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
completely unclothed
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
CISnoun
an alliance made up of states that had been Soviet Socialist Republics in the Soviet Union prior to its dissolution in Dec 1991
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
combinedadjectiveUS /kəmˈbaɪnd/
made or joined or united into one
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
confidencesnounUS /ˈkɑːnfədənsɪz/
plural of “confidence” — freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
cushionnounUS /ˈkʊʃən/
a mechanical damper; absorbs energy of sudden impulses
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
one or the other of two
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
excelsiornounUS /ɪkˈselsiər/
thin curly wood shavings used for packing or stuffing
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
excitingadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsaɪtɪŋ/
creating or arousing excitement
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
opinion or judgment
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
framingnounUS /ˈfreɪmɪŋ/
formulation of the plans and important details
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
glossyadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːsi/
based on pretense; deceptively pleasing
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
of great significance or value
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
invariablyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈveriəbli/
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
Johnnie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
and nothing more
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
nursedadjectiveUS /nɜːrst/
(of an infant) breast-fed
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
palletnounUS /ˈpælət/
the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
poolsnounUS /puːlz/
plural of “pool” — an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
positionsnounUS /pəˈzɪʃənz/
plural of “position” — the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
prizedverbUS /praɪzd/
past form of “prize” — hold dear
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
quiltnounUS /kwɪlt/
bedding made of two layers of cloth filled with stuffing and stitched together
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The combined positions were such as invariably made for confidences.
express in words
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
tensenounUS /tens/
a grammatical category of verbs used to express distinctions of time
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
tumbledverbUS /ˈtʌmbəld/
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Johnnie was just below her on the floor, his quilt spread under him for comfort, a bare foot nursed in either hand.
unusuallyadverbUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəli/
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And he guessed that what she had to tell him now was something unusually important and exciting.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading About her shoulders tumbled her hair, its glossy waves framing a face, pale and tense, in which her eyes were wide pools of black.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading CIS TELLS A SECRET CIS was seated on her narrow pallet, her back against the prized excelsior cushion, her knees drawn up within the circle of her slender arms.
