used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
ceilingnounUS /ˈsiːlɪŋ/
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
crampedadjectiveUS /kræmpt/
constricted in size
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading She guessed that Stella had failed.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Lady Verny finished her weeding.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading She guessed that Stella had failed.
an established custom
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She guessed that Stella had failed.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lady Verny finished her weeding.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
JuliannounUS /ˈdʒuːliən/
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
Julian's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Lady Verny finished her weeding.
a room where books are kept
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
StellanounUS /ˈstelə/
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading She guessed that Stella had failed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She guessed that Stella had failed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
Verny
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lady Verny finished her weeding.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
weedingverbUS /ˈwiːdɪŋ/
-ing form of “weed” — clear of weeds
From this reading Lady Verny finished her weeding.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
at the time that
From this reading Lady Verny knew that, when he was alone, he was in the habit of lying like this for hours.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading It took her an hour and a half to do what she wanted to the bed; then she rose from her cramped position, and went into Julian's library by one of the French windows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Julian was lying on a long couch, with his hands behind the back of his head and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
