in actual fact
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
Airey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
anybody's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
any cognitive content held as true
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
Catterall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
consoler
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
Emma
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
a long fixed look
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
paralysing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
and nothing more
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
staggeringadjectiveUS /ˈstæɡərɪŋ/
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
to a sufficient degree
From this reading To find Emma Catterall inside anybody’s kitchen was sufficiently staggering in itself, but to find her seated was almost beyond belief.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
TannernounUS /ˈtænər/
a small coin of the United Kingdom worth six pennies; not minted since 1970
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading The sight, therefore, that actually met her gaze was simply paralysing in its effect.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Mrs. Tanner had to turn her back on the sword before she could finally believe her eyes.
on a floor above
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
a message informing of danger
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
at the time that
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading It was true, of course, that voices had reached her while she was upstairs, warning her that some other consoler had dropped in.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Like enough it would be Mrs. Airey, she had said to herself, and had fully expected to see her when she came down.
