used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A NEGATIVED PROPOSAL.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
artist-acquaintances
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
DINNER-PARTY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MY FIRST DINNER-PARTY.
dislikenounUS /dɪˈslaɪk/
an inclination to withhold approval from some person or group
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
displeaseverbUS /dɪˈspliːz/
give displeasure to
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
eschewedverbUS /ˌeˈʃuːd/
past form of “eschew” — avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
divisible by two
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
apart from; not including
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading MY FIRST DINNER-PARTY.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
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 There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY FIRST DINNER-PARTY.
NEGATIVED
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A NEGATIVED PROPOSAL.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
plural of “party” — an organization to gain political power
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
PROPOSALnounUS /prəˈpoʊzəl/
something proposed (such as a plan or assumption)
From this reading A NEGATIVED PROPOSAL.
relativesnounUS /ˈrelətɪvz/
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
unsociableadjective
not inclined to society or companionship
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading There were not many, even among his artist-acquaintances, whom he cared to visit; and, altogether, I fear he passed for an unsociable man.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To parties my husband had a great dislike; evening parties he eschewed utterly, and never accepted an invitation to dinner, except it were to the house of a friend, or to that of one of my few relatives in London, whom, for my sake, he would not displease.
but in spite of that
From this reading It may well be believed that we had not yet seen much company in our little house.
