used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
a positive feeling of liking
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
affinitynounUS /əˈfɪnəti/
(immunology) the attraction between an antigen and an antibody
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
Aldesey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
Barney
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
befriendedverbUS /bɪˈfrendɪd/
past form of “befriend” — become friends with
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
bereavementnounUS /bərˈiːvmənt/
state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
bewildermentnounUS /bɪˈwɪldərmənt/
confusion resulting from failure to understand
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
boy'snounUS /bɔɪz/
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
Chadwicks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
childhoodnounUS /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/
the time of person's life when they are a child
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
divisible by two
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
extraordinarilyadverbUS /ekˌstrɔːrdəˈnerəli/
extremely
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
hauntedadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːntɪd/
having or showing excessive or compulsive concern with something
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
idolatrynounUS /aɪˈdɑːlətri/
the worship of idols; the worship of physical objects or images as gods
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
ill-health
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
jocularities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
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 She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading His love for his mother had been an idolatry, and his childhood had been haunted by her ill-health.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
Oldmeadow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
preparatoryadjectiveUS /prɪˈperətɔːri/
preceding and preparing for something
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
on the contrary
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of two entities or parts together
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
Roger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
an educational institution
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
thirteennounUS /ˈθɜːrˈtiːn/
the cardinal number that is the sum of twelve and one
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading They had been extraordinarily kind to him since the time that he had befriended Barney at the preparatory school, hiding, under his grim jocularities, the bewilderment of a boy's first great bereavement.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was, after the Chadwicks, his nearest friend, and his relation to the Chadwicks was one of affection rather than affinity.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
at the time that
From this reading She died when he was thirteen, and in some ways he knew that, even now, he had never got over it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Roger Oldmeadow went to have tea with Mrs. Aldesey next afternoon.
