the act of measuring with meters or similar instruments; "he has a job meter reading for the gas company"
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message; "he enjoys reading books"
a datum about some physical state that is presented to a user by a meter or similar instrument; "he could not believe the meter reading"; "the barometer gave clear indications of an approaching storm"
written material intended to be read; "the teacher assigned new readings"; "he bought some reading material at the airport"
a particular interpretation or performance; "on that reading it was an insult"; "he was famous for his reading of Mozart"
a city on the River Thames in Berkshire in southern England
characterized by extreme care and great effort; "conscientious application to the work at hand"; "painstaking research"; "scrupulous attention to details"
guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong; "a conscientious decision to speak out about injustice"
the act of starting a new operation or practice; "he opposed the inauguration of fluoridation"; "the startup of the new factory was delayed by strikes"
the ceremonial induction into a position; "the new president obviously enjoyed his inauguration"
the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society"; "he regards the fork as a modern introduction"
a formal entry into an organization or position or office; "his initiation into the club"; "he was ordered to report for induction into the army"; "he gave a speech as part of his installation into the hall of fame"
giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with cleanliness; "a fastidious and incisive intellect"; "fastidious about personal cleanliness"
having complicated nutritional requirements; especially growing only in special artificial cultures; "fastidious microorganisms"; "certain highly specialized xerophytes are extremely exacting in their requirements"
the raising of plants or animals; "the culture of oysters"
(biology) the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium (such as gelatin or agar); "the culture of cells in a Petri dish"
the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group
the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization; "the developing drug culture"; "the reason that the agency is doomed to inaction has something to do with the FBI culture"
a particular society at a particular time and place; "early Mayan civilization"
requiring more than usually expected or thought due; especially great patience and effort and skill; "found the job very demanding"; "a baby can be so demanding"
(often followed by `to') devoted exclusively to a single use or purpose or person; "a fund sacred to charity"; "a morning hour sacred to study"; "a private office sacred to the President"
concerned with religion or religious purposes; "sacred texts"; "sacred rites"; "sacred music"
worthy of respect or dedication; "saw motherhood as woman's sacred calling"
extremely hot; "the fervent heat...merely communicated a genial warmth to their half-torpid systems"- Nathaniel Hawthorne; "set out...when the fervid heat subsides"- Frances Trollope