amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
travel across or pass over
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
English-speakingadjective
able to communicate in English
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
generationsnounUS /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃənz/
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
GODCHILDnoun
an infant who is sponsored by an adult (the godparent) at baptism
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
(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 But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
holly-berry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Yule-log and the holly-berry have been time-honoured “properties.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
KITTYnounUS /ˈkɪti/
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
set down according to a plan
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
landscapenounUS /ˈlændskeɪp/
an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
leaflessadjectiveUS /ˈliːfləs/
having no leaves
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
as might be expected
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
NEPHEWSnounUS /ˈnefjuːz/
plural of “nephew” — a son of your brother or sister
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
NIECESnounUS /ˈniːsɪz/
plural of “niece” — a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
PREFACEnounUS /ˈprefəs/
a short introductory essay preceding the text of a book
From this reading PREFACE.
propertiesnounUS /ˈprɑːpərtiz/
plural of “property” — something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
From this reading The Yule-log and the holly-berry have been time-honoured “properties.”
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
plural of “scene” — the place where some action occurs
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
time-honouredadjective
acceptable for a long time
From this reading The Yule-log and the holly-berry have been time-honoured “properties.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO MY GODCHILD KITTY AND TO MY LITTLE NEPHEWS AND NIECES.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
not known
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
unmeaningadjective
without meaning
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading The scenes of Christmas tales read by English-speaking children have been for the most part naturally laid amid winter, snow, and leafless landscape.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But there are, growing up under the Southern Cross, generations of children, with English speech and English hearts, to whom the Yule-log at Christmas is unmeaning and the snow unknown.
Yule-log
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Yule-log and the holly-berry have been time-honoured “properties.”
