used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
adorningverbUS /əˈdɔːrnɪŋ/
-ing form of “adorn” — make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
bric-a-bracnoun
miscellaneous curios
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
characterized by great determination
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
expensiveadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspensɪv/
high in price or charging high prices
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
Filmer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A letter fell from its pages, and she read it.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
Harry's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
illustrationsnounUS /ˌɪləˈstreɪʃənz/
plural of “illustration” — artwork that helps make something clear or attractive
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A letter fell from its pages, and she read it.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading A letter fell from its pages, and she read it.
held up in the air
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
fasten with a lock
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
packingnounUS /ˈpækɪŋ/
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading A letter fell from its pages, and she read it.
passionatelyadverbUS /ˈpæʃənətli/
with passion
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
in the right manner; correctly; suitably
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading A letter fell from its pages, and she read it.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
sombreadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading As she did so, her eyes flashed, and her face grew passionately sombre.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She determined to lock it away, and lifted it for that purpose.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
having great material or monetary value especially for use or exchange
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went into Harry's room, to see if the pieces adorning it had been attended to properly; and, glancing carefully around, her eyes fell upon a book of expensive illustrations.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was the morning before "the Ball," and Mrs. Filmer was busy about the packing of some valuable bric-a-brac, which was to be taken with them to the city.
