used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading Mrs. Waddington acted swiftly.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading It was a moment for action, not repose.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
make calm or still
From this reading The strange calm which had been upon her dissolved into a panic fear.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
clickverbUS /klɪk/
move or strike with a noise
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
dissolvedadjectiveUS /dɪˈzɑːlvd/
(of solid matter) reduced to a liquid form
From this reading The strange calm which had been upon her dissolved into a panic fear.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading The strange calm which had been upon her dissolved into a panic fear.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was a moment for action, not repose.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a moment for action, not repose.
and nothing more
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
a particular point in time
From this reading It was a moment for action, not repose.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Waddington acted swiftly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
panicnounUS /ˈpænɪk/
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading The strange calm which had been upon her dissolved into a panic fear.
presumablyadverbUS /prəˈzuːməbli/
by reasonable assumption
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
prudencenounUS /ˈpruːdəns/
discretion in practical affairs
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
relaxverbUS /rɪˈlæks/
become less tense, rest, or take one's ease
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
reposeverbUS /riˈpoʊz/
put or confide something in a person or thing
From this reading It was a moment for action, not repose.
resistedverbUS /rɪˈzɪstɪd/
past form of “resist” — elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
having a supporting base
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading The strange calm which had been upon her dissolved into a panic fear.
in a swift manner
From this reading Mrs. Waddington acted swiftly.
temptationnounUS /temˈteɪʃən/
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
thenceadverbUS /ðens/
from that place or that time
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The strange calm which had been upon her dissolved into a panic fear.
Waddington
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Waddington acted swiftly.
past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
at the time that
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She turned to the door which presumably led into the front hall and thence to the stairs and safety: and had just opened it when there came the click of a turning key.
which person or people
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading But, though she had been on her feet some considerable time now and was not a woman who enjoyed standing, prudence warned her that the temptation to relax must be resisted.
