used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
airsnounUS /erz/
affected manners intended to impress others
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
attributedverbUS /əˈtrɪbjətɪd/
past form of “attribute” — attribute or credit to
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
degenerationnounUS /dɪˌdʒenərˈeɪʃən/
the process of declining from a higher to a lower level of effective power or vitality or essential quality
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
distressedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstrest/
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
apart from; not including
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
indulgencenounUS /ˌɪnˈdʌldʒəns/
an inability to resist the gratification of whims and desires
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
and nothing more
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
a room where books are kept
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
lollverbUS /lɑːl/
hang loosely or laxly
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
manhoodnounUS /ˈmænhʊd/
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
the force of workers available
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
MeredithnounUS /ˈmerɪdɪθ/
United States civil rights leader whose college registration caused riots in traditionally segregated Mississippi (born in 1933)
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
music-box
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
not any; not one
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
nowadaysnounUS /ˈnaʊədeɪz/
the period of time that is happening now; any continuous stretch of time including the moment of speech
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
playsnounUS /pleɪz/
plural of “play” — a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
stifflyadverbUS /ˈstɪfli/
in a stiff manner
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
straight-backedadjective
having a straight back
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
UnfashionableadjectiveUS /ənˈfæʃənəbəl/
not in accord with or not following current fashion
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sir John Meredith was sitting stiffly in a straight-backed chair by his library fire.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We shut our hearts up nowadays, Like some old music-box that plays Unfashionable airs.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were no such chairs in this library, just as there was no afternoon tea except for ladies.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Sir John Meredith was distressed to observe a great many signs of the degeneration of manhood, which he attributed to the indulgence in afternoon tea.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading In his young days men did not loll in deep chairs, with their knees higher than their heads.
