used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
AFTERprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading THE MORNING AFTER.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
exhale hard
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
command with authority
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
entreats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
frailadjectiveUS /freɪl/
physically weak
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
giftsnounUS /ɡɪfts/
plural of “gift” — something acquired without compensation
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
glistenverbUS /ˈɡlɪsən/
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THE MORNING AFTER.
netnounUS /net/
a computer network consisting of a worldwide network of computer networks that use the TCP/IP network protocols to facilitate data transmission and exchange
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
in other respects or ways
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
probabilitiesnounUS /ˌprɑːbəˈbɪlətiːz/
plural of “probability” — a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
proportionnounUS /prəˈpɔːrʃən/
the quotient obtained when the magnitude of a part is divided by the magnitude of the whole
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
shieldnounUS /ʃiːld/
a protective covering or structure
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
spidernounUS /ˈspaɪdər/
predatory arachnid with eight legs, two poison fangs, two feelers, and usually two silk-spinning organs at the back end of the body; they spin silk to make cocoons for eggs or traps for prey
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
the rays of the sun
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MORNING AFTER.
tissuenounUS /ˈtɪsjuː/
part of an organism consisting of an aggregate of cells having a similar structure and function
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She entreats to know in direct proportion to her dread of the coming knowledge.
waitsnounUS /weɪts/
plural of “wait” — time during which some action is awaited
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
webnounUS /web/
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
(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 How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading How could it well be otherwise, while her life is one frail tissue of delicate probabilities, in the midst of which she waits, like a spider in its net, for the possible gifts of fate?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And the web may glisten as it will in the sunlight; it makes but a poor shield against a blow.
woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A woman's anxiety is always awake, always asking.
