used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
anklenounUS /ˈæŋkəl/
a gliding joint between the distal ends of the tibia and fibula and the proximal end of the talus
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
comfortlessadjective
without comfort
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
draperiesnounUS /ˈdreɪpəriz/
plural of “drapery” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
divisible by two
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.
Forster
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/
resembling or characteristic of a phantom
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
glimmernounUS /ˈɡlɪmər/
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
heelnounUS /hiːl/
the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
hear with intention
From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
coated with paint
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
shimmeringly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
stairnounUS /ster/
support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
staircasenounUS /ˈsterkeɪs/
a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading At the foot of the stairs she stopped--to listen.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
treadverbUS /tred/
put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
twingenounUS /twɪndʒ/
a sudden sharp feeling
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
VioletnounUS /ˈvaɪəlɪt/
any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading How comfortless, how even ghostly the great hall seemed, as the first glimmer of the day came shimmeringly through the painted windows!
in the company of; together with
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The Two Women Curiously quiet the house seemed to be as, in the cold, grey light, Violet Forster made the best of her way along the passage.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading At the head of the great staircase she paused; now it was possible to see; she wondered which was the stair on which, in the darkness, she had caught her heel in her draperies and stumbled.
but in spite of that
From this reading Her ankle was better, yet, in spite of the caution with which she descended, it gave her a twinge at every tread.
