agitate
2 uses
PISCHIN. [Agitated] What? Why to town?
agitated = emotionally upset
Definition
Generally agitate means:to stir up — emotionally (such as anxiety) or physically (such as shaking)
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 16 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Act 3 |
cease
1 use
The house in which we live has long ceased to be our house; I shall go away.
ceased = stopped or discontinued
Definition
Generally cease means:to stop or discontinue
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 25 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Act 2 |
descend
1 use
My dead father, who liked a joke, peace to his bones, used to say, talking of our ancestors, that the ancient stock of the Simeonov-Pischins was descended from that identical horse that Caligula made a senator.
descended = came from (as a person from an ancestor)
Definition
Generally descend means:move or slope downward
or:
come from a higher or prior level in a hierarchy — as a person from an ancestor
or:
come or arrive — especially from above — such as night or darkness
or:
come from a higher or prior level in a hierarchy — as a person from an ancestor
or:
come or arrive — especially from above — such as night or darkness
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 32 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Act 3 |
despair
1 use
GAEV. [In despair] My sister, my sister. ...
despair = hopelessness or desperation
Definition
Generally despair means:hopelessness
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 27 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Act 4 |
direct
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
directed her question to
I congratulate you on your existence, which has already for more than a hundred years been directed towards the bright ideals of good and justice; your silent call to productive labour has not grown less in the hundred years [Weeping] during which you have upheld virtue and faith in a better future to the generations of our race, educating us up to ideals of goodness and to the knowledge of a common consciousness.†
directed = aimed or focused
Definition
Generally this sense of direct means:to indicate direction; or to cause movement or focus in a direction or towards an object
The exact meaning of this sense of direct is subject to its context. For example:
- "intentionally directed fire at unarmed civilians" — aimed a gun
- "directed the question to her" — aimed a question
- "directed her north" — pointed in a particular direction
- "directed attention to the 3rd paragraph" — focused attention on a particular object
- "The sound of her voice directed him to the kitchen." — guided or gave directions to someone to help them move to a particular place
- "She directed him to the airport." — gave directions to send someone to a particular place
- "She directed the boat north." — steered it
- "directed the letter to" — send a letter to a particular person by putting a name and address on it
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 31 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Act 1 |
distinct
1 use
In the distance is a row of telegraph poles, and far, far away on the horizon are the indistinct signs of a large town, which can only be seen on the finest and clearest days.†
indistinct = not clear or easily identifiable
(editor's note: The prefix "in-" in indistinct means not and reverses the meaning of distinct. This is the same pattern you see in words like incomplete, independent, and inexpensive.)
(editor's note: The prefix "in-" in indistinct means not and reverses the meaning of distinct. This is the same pattern you see in words like incomplete, independent, and inexpensive.)
Definition
Generally distinct means:clear, easily noticed, and/or identifiable as different or separate
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 26 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Act 2 |
entreat
1 use
[Entreatingly] Uncle, dear!†
entreatingly = in a pleading or persuading manner
Definition
Generally entreat means:to ask or attempt to persuade — especially while trying hard to overcome resistance
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Act 2 |
infinite
1 use
Sometimes, when I can't sleep, I think: "Oh Lord, you've given us huge forests, infinite fields, and endless horizons, and we, living here, ought really to be giants."†
infinite = unlimited; without boundaries; or too numerous to count
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 15 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Act 2 |
Judaism
2 uses
That is our celebrated Jewish band.†
Jewish = of Judaism (the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions) or it's culture
Definition
Generally Judaism means:the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions — having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 20 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Act 2 |
recite
2 uses
The STATION-MASTER stands in the middle of the drawing-room and recites "The Magdalen" by Tolstoy.
recites = to say aloud something previously memorized
Definition
Generally recite means:to say or read something aloud — especially something previously memorized such as a poem
or:
to say in detail — especially a list of things
or:
to say in detail — especially a list of things
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 19 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Act 3 |
utter
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
utter stupidity
How utterly absurd!†
utterly = completely or totally
Definition
Generally this sense of utter means:complete or total (used as an intensifier—typically when stressing how bad something is)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 23 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Act 1 |