used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
anew
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
alertadjectiveUS /əˈlɜːrt/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
ANTONYnounUS /ˈæntəni/
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
awaitedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪtɪd/
expected hopefully
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
CathedralnounUS /kəˈθiːdrəl/
any large and important church
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
chatterverbUS /ˈtʃætər/
click repeatedly or uncontrollably
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
cloistersnounUS /ˈklɔɪstərz/
plural of “cloister” — residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
converseverbUS /ˈkɑːnvərs/
carry on a conversation
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
demeanournounUS /dɪˈmiːnər/
(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
divisible by two
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
frailadjectiveUS /freɪl/
physically weak
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
HOLDSnounUS /hoʊldz/
plural of “hold” — the act of grasping
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
and nothing more
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
lay-sister
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
peasnounUS /piːz/
plural of “pea” — seed of a pea plant used for food
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
quaintadjectiveUS /kweɪnt/
strange in an interesting or pleasing way
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
precisely, exactly
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
robinnounUS /ˈrɑːbən/
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
a special situation
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
twenty-fiveadjectiveUS /ˈtwentifaɪv/
being five more than twenty
From this reading As she sat, she slowly dropped the twenty-five peas from her right hand, to her left, and back again.
unlikeadjectiveUS /ənˈlaɪk/
marked by dissimilarity
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
precisely as stated
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
Vespersnoun
the sixth of the seven canonical hours of the divine office; early evening; now often made a public service on Sundays
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
a Caucasian
From this reading MARY ANTONY HOLDS THE FORT Mary Antony awaited in the cloisters the return of the White Ladies from Vespers.
wistfuladjectiveUS /ˈwɪstfəl/
showing pensive sadness
From this reading She sat upon the stone seat, looking very frail, and wearing a wistful expression, quite unlike her usual alert demeanour.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The old lay-sister was not in the mood for gay chatter to the robin, nor even for quaint converse with herself.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading A wonderful thing had happened on that afternoon, just before the White Ladies set forth to the Cathedral.
