used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
awkwardnessnounUS /ˈɔːkwərdnəs/
unskillfulness resulting from a lack of training
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
Brandon's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
brevitynounUS /ˈbrevəti/
the use of brief expressions
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading CAPTAIN LAKE FOLLOWS TO LONDON.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
Chelford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
disconcertingadjectiveUS /ˌdɪskənˈsɜːrtɪŋ/
causing an emotional disturbance
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
third-person singular of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading CAPTAIN LAKE FOLLOWS TO LONDON.
good-humour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading The time was growing short.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
insolentadjectiveUS /ˈɪnsələnt/
marked by casual disrespect
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading CAPTAIN LAKE FOLLOWS TO LONDON.
levanting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading CAPTAIN LAKE FOLLOWS TO LONDON.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
mincedverbUS /mɪnst/
past form of “mince” — make less severe or harsh
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
not any; not one
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/
impressive in appearance
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
by chance
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
relativesnounUS /ˈrelətɪvz/
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
express in words
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
secondaryadjectiveUS /ˈsekənderi/
being of second rank or importance or value; not direct or immediate
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The time was growing short.
singularlyadverbUS /ˈsɪŋɡjələrli/
in a singular manner or to a singular degree
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The time was growing short.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The time was growing short.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading CAPTAIN LAKE FOLLOWS TO LONDON.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
which person or people
From this reading Lord Chelford plainly thought more than he cared to say; and his mother, who never minced matters, said perhaps more than she quite thought.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading He wrote with a stupid good-humour, and an insolent brevity which took no account of Miss Brandon's position, or that (though secondary in awkwardness) of her noble relatives.
Wylder's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wylder's levanting in this way was singularly disconcerting.
