used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
acted upon; influenced
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
anklesnounUS /ˈæŋkəlz/
plural of “ankle” — a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
ayahnoun
(in India) a native nursemaid who looks after children
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
banglesnounUS /ˈbæŋɡəlz/
plural of “bangle” — jewelry worn around the wrist for decoration
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
beadsnounUS /biːdz/
several beads threaded together on a string
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
BROWNE'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
buttonnounUS /ˈbʌtən/
a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
Chua
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
coquetrynoun
playful behavior intended to arouse sexual interest
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
cottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
discriminationnounUS /dɪˌskrɪməˈneɪʃən/
unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
opinion or judgment
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
garmentsnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənts/
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
the act of giving
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
coins made of gold
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
heathennounUS /ˈhiːðən/
a person who does not acknowledge your god
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
high-boned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
hoopsnounUS /huːps/
a game played on a court by two opposing teams of 5 players; points are scored by throwing the ball through an elevated horizontal hoop
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
jacketnounUS /ˈdʒækət/
a short coat
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
immediately past
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
Mussulman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
nostrilnounUS /ˈnɑːstrɪl/
either one of the two external openings to the nasal cavity in the nose
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
having official authority or sanction
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
petticoatnounUS /ˈpetikoʊt/
undergarment worn under a skirt
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
ratnounUS /ræt/
any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
on the contrary
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
precisely, exactly
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
signifyingverbUS /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “signify” — denote or connote
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
sponsorsnounUS /ˈspɑːnsərz/
plural of “sponsor” — someone who supports or champions something
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
make square
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
a lightweight cord
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
stripedadjectiveUS /straɪpt/
marked or decorated with stripes
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
thirty-fiveadjectiveUS /ˈθɜːrdifaɪv/
being five more than thirty
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her name was Chua, signifying “a rat,” and her heathen sponsors showed rather a fine discrimination in giving it to her.
uncomfortablyadverbUS /ənˈkʌmfərtəbli/
in physical discomfort
From this reading This last bit of coquetry affected Helen uncomfortably for some time.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
variouslyadverbUS /ˈveriəsli/
in diverse ways
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She dressed somewhat variously, but her official garments were a short jacket and a striped cotton petticoat, a string of beads round her neck, silver bangles on her arms and ankles, hoops in her ears, and a small gold button in her right nostril.
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
in the company of; together with
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
worldlyadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrldli/
characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed to the spiritual world
From this reading BROWNE’S ayah was a little Mussulman woman of about thirty-five, with bright eyes and an expression of great worldly wisdom upon her small, square, high-boned face.
