Chapter IV

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

with few mistakes

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

examined carefully and methodically; broken down for consideration of constituent parts

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

the force by which one object attracts another

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

plural of “call” — a telephone connection

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

navigational instrument for finding directions

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

conformity with conventional thought and behavior

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

(of information) make known; pass on

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

the quality of being beautiful and delicate in appearance

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

serving to describe or inform or characterized by description

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

unfair treatment of a person or group on the basis of prejudice

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

plural of “drift” — a force that moves something along

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

a refined quality of gracefulness and good taste

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

characterized by expression

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

the quality of being very good indeed

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

physically weak

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

to a high degree or extent; favorably or with much respect

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

clarify by giving an example of

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

and nothing more

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

without good reason

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

of or relating to or characteristic of literature

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

migratory

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

not any; not one

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

a brief written record

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

on one occasion

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

the act of passing from one state or place to the next

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

the manner in which something is expressed in words

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

not often

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

on the contrary

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

express in words

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

only a very short time before

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

plural of “search” — the activity of looking thoroughly in order to find something or someone

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

try to get or reach

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

plural of “seek” — the movement of a read/write head to a specific data track on a disk

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

a general conscious awareness

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

characterized by or performed with much energy or force

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

relating to or caused by temperament

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

having come into contact

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

disease of livestock and especially cattle poisoned by eating certain kinds of snakeroot

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear

From this reading These lines illustrate Miss Thomas’ command of accurately descriptive phrase: the compass is “mobile and frail as a tremulous spheret of dew,” and touched never so lightly, “how it drifts, and trembles, and searches on every side.”

not yet payable

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

a numerical quantity measured or assigned or computed

From this reading Miss Thomas’ diction in general shows rather fineness of discrimination in the expressive value of words than a strenuous attempt to seek out those which are “literary” and inobvious.

beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something)

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

at the time that

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading There is rarely a word that calls undue attention to itself; but when a passage or poem is analyzed, one cannot but note the fine sense of values in its phraseology.

the words that are spoken

From this reading One feels that just these words, and no others, convey at once the sense of its delicacy, and the almost sentient instinct by which it seeks its attraction.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Her diction has elegance without conventionality, but one would scarcely say that it is highly temperamental.