used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
the state of being absent
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
acuteadjectiveUS /əˈkjuːt/
having or experiencing a rapid onset and short but severe course
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
(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 Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
(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 She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
lacking funds
From this reading There came a night when the storm broke.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There came a night when the storm broke.
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
disasternounUS /dɪˈzæstər/
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
to a considerable degree
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
a social unit living together
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
irritablyadverb
in a petulant manner
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
the act of departing
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
Meriel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
nebulousadjectiveUS /ˈnebjələs/
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading There came a night when the storm broke.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
offersnounUS /ˈɔːfərz/
plural of “offer” — the verbal act of offering
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
preynounUS /preɪ/
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
rejectingverbUS /rɪˈdʒektɪŋ/
-ing form of “reject” — refuse to accept or acknowledge
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
restlessnessnounUS /ˈrestləsnəs/
the quality of being ceaselessly moving or active
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading The cloud of coming disaster settled down more and more heavily over the household.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
SternenounUS /stɜːrn/
English writer (born in Ireland) (1713-1766)
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading There came a night when the storm broke.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
a source of difficulty
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
past form of “wander” — move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading She wandered about the house rejecting irritably all offers of help, and finally shut herself up in her own rooms, leaving Meriel a prey to anxiety.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
at the time that
From this reading There came a night when the storm broke.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Sterne had been away all day, and in his absence his wife's restlessness took an acute turn.
but in spite of that
From this reading There was trouble in the air--a trouble nebulous and vague, yet real enough to chill the blood.
