Chapter VII

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

plural of “boy” — a youthful male person

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

plural of “buttercup” — any of various plants of the genus Ranunculus

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

any of various plants of the genus Centaurium

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

-ing form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

the organ of sight

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

the side that is forward or prominent

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

someone who takes care of a garden

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

shoot down, of birds

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

poisonous drug derived from an Eurasian plant of the genus Conium

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

a field of cultivated and mowed grass

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

a feeling of thoughtful sadness

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

a particular point in time

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

plural of “nettle” — any of numerous plants having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation on contact (especially of the genus Urtica or family Urticaceae)

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading The paths were now visible.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

a small contrasting part of something

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

plural of “path” — a course of conduct

From this reading The paths were now visible.

plural of “plant” — buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

(of farmland) broken and turned over with a plow

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

move as if through a sieve

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

plural of “sort” — a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The paths were now visible.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

in or at that place or location

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

Having little thickness or extent.

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

not even or uniform as e.g. in shape or texture

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

capable of being seen; or open to easy view

From this reading The paths were now visible.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Then we'll sift the earth we've broken up, level it down and sow ray-grass.

a black garment (dress) worn by a widow as a sign of mourning

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The paths were now visible.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

a Caucasian

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.

a feeling of extreme emotional intensity

From this reading Encoignard, the gardener from Valognes, was contemplating this wildness with a melancholy eye:

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "It will have to be ploughed, M. Des Boys, or at least well hoed.

in the company of; together with

From this reading One of them, in front of the house, made an oval round a lawn, which looked, at the moment, like a patch of weeds, with all sorts of flowers in the uneven grass--buttercups, moon-daisies, cranes-bill and centaury; there were rushes, too, and nettles, hemlock and plants of lingwort that looked like long thin girls in white hats.