used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
AbbeynounUS /ˈæbi/
a church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
the state of being absent
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
committeenounUS /kəˈmɪti/
a special group delegated to consider some matter
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
debateverbUS /dəˈbeɪt/
argue with one another
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
discussedverbUS /dɪˈskʌst/
past form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
having made preparations
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
dispositionnounUS /ˌdɪspəˈzɪʃən/
your usual mood
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
disputedadjectiveUS /dɪsˈpjuːtəd/
subject to disagreement and debate
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
indifferentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfrənt/
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
infinitelyadverbUS /ˈɪnfənətli/
without bounds
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
Lyle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
MaitlandnounUS /ˈmeɪtlənd/
English historian noted for his works on the history of English law (1850-1906)
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
Maitland's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
attach a tag or label to
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
come together
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
on one occasion
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
and nothing more
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
peculiaritiesnounUS /pɪˌkjuːliˈerətiz/
plural of “peculiarity” — an odd or unusual characteristic
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
pretextnounUS /ˈpriːtekst/
something serving to conceal plans; a fictitious reason that is concocted in order to conceal the real reason
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
an angry dispute
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
on the contrary
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
cut with a saw
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
express in words
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
squirearchynoun
the gentry who own land (considered as a class)
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
precisely as stated
From this reading The company at Lyle Abbey saw very little of Maitland for some days after his arrival.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Not, indeed, that the squirearchy then present were at all disposed to regret Maitland's absence.
which person or people
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading It was not very easy to say why they did not like him, but such was the fact.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He never appeared of a morning; he only once came down to dinner; his pretext was indifferent health, and Mark showed a disposition to quarrel with any one who disputed it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They would infinitely rather have discussed his peculiarities in secret committee than meet himself in open debate.
