used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
past form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
ennoblingadjectiveUS /ɪˈnoʊblɪŋ/
investing with dignity or honor
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
joysnounUS /dʒɔɪz/
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
joined in matrimony
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
ordealnounUS /ɔːrˈdiːl/
a severe or trying experience
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
past form of “produce” — bring forth or yield
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
refiningnounUS /rəˈfaɪnɪŋ/
the process of removing impurities (as from oil or metals or sugar etc.)
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading THE SECOND WARNING.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SECOND WARNING.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading During these early months of her married life, Mary enjoyed an almost perfect happiness, for the first time of her short existence.
unworthyadjectiveUS /ənˈwɜːrði/
lacking in value or merit
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
vicissitudesnounUS /vɪˈsɪsɪtuːdz/
plural of “vicissitude” — a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
a message informing of danger
From this reading THE SECOND WARNING.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
at the time that
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She had passed through the terrible ordeal, and the strange vicissitudes of her life had produced an ennobling and refining effect upon her character, which was reflected on her beautiful face.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She was, indeed, as sweet a woman as the soul of man could desire.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading She sometimes wondered and was afraid when she thought of it, looking upon herself as being altogether unworthy of so many joys.
