A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Bibbs went home pondering. He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed. The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant. Significant of what? And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.”
on the far side of; further than
From this reading “The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.”
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading “The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Bibbs went home pondering.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Significant of what?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading And why had she wished to impress upon him the fact of her overwhelming amusement?
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Bibbs went home pondering.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Significant of what?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not understand why Sibyl had laughed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The laughter itself had been spontaneous and beyond suspicion, but it seemed to him that she had only affected the effort to suppress it and that she wished it to be significant.
