used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
how long something has existed
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
Alden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
a young female
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
inexperiencedadjectiveUS /ɪnɪkˈspɪriənst/
lacking practical experience or training
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
invalidnounUS /ˈɪnvələd/
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
Madge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
joined in matrimony
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
MuirnounUS /mjʊr/
United States naturalist (born in England) who advocated the creation of national parks (1838-1914)
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
orphannounUS /ˈɔːrfən/
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading Madge Alden was an orphan.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
overwhelmedverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
parentnounUS /ˈperənt/
a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
prioradjectiveUS /ˈpraɪər/
earlier in time
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
residedverbUS /rɪˈzaɪdɪd/
past form of “reside” — make one's home in a particular place or community
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
senioradjectiveUS /ˈsiːnjər/
older; higher in rank; longer in length of tenure or service
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
seventeenadjectiveUS /ˈsevənˈtiːn/
being one more than sixteen
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
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 Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
survivingadjectiveUS /sərˈvaɪvɪŋ/
still in existence
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading At first she was almost overwhelmed and knew not what to do.
at the time that
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
which person or people
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
a late time of life
From this reading When Madge Alden was seventeen years of age an event occurred which promised to be the misfortune of her life.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading Four years prior to the opening of our story she had lost her mother, her surviving parent, and since had resided with her elder sister Mary, who was several years her senior, and had married Henry Muir, a merchant of New York City.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading She was but a young and inexperienced girl, and for a year or more had been regarded as an invalid.
