used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
Adela
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
beamedverbUS /biːmd/
past form of “beam” — smile radiantly; express joy through one's facial expression
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
confideverbUS /kənˈfaɪd/
reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
Darnley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
dearly loved
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
dialoguenounUS /ˈdaɪəlɔːɡ/
a conversation between two persons
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
flownounUS /floʊ/
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
an established custom
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
indulgeverbUS /ˌɪnˈdʌldʒ/
give free rein to
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
KingstonnounUS /ˈkɪŋstən/
a town on the Hudson River in New York
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
knittingnounUS /ˈnɪtɪŋ/
needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
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 Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
lovinglyadverbUS /ˈlʌvɪŋli/
with fondness; with love
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
maskverbUS /mæsk/
hide under a false appearance
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
reckonedverbUS /ˈrekənd/
past form of “reckon” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
self-communings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
soliloquynounUS /səˈlɪləkwi/
speech you make to yourself
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
a male human offspring
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
spectaclesnounUS /ˈspektəkəlz/
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading Lady Adela laid down her knitting and beamed lovingly at her son over her spectacles.
strangestadjectiveUS /ˈstreɪndʒɪst/
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
a special situation
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘My dear,’ said Kingston Darnley to his mother one afternoon, ‘being in love is the strangest thing.’
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading She allowed him to talk, and never interrupted the flow of his self-communings by any sudden sign of understanding them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
which person or people
From this reading Few people are more comfortable to confide in than those who can always be safely reckoned on to understand nothing of what is said to them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Long habit had taught him to indulge in soliloquy under the mask of a dialogue with his mother.
