used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
accompanyingadjectiveUS /əˈkʌmpəniɪŋ/
occurring with or following as a consequence
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
arrangementsnounUS /ərˈeɪndʒmənts/
plural of “arrangement” — the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
terminate
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
desirousadjectiveUS /dɪˈzaɪrəs/
having or expressing desire for something
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
despairedverbUS /dɪˈsperd/
past form of “despair” — abandon hope; give up hope; lose heart
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
diligentlyadverbUS /ˈdɪlədʒəntli/
with diligence; in a diligent manner
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
the act of discovering something
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
finaladjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəl/
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
hastyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪsti/
excessively quick
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
injunctionnounUS /ˌɪnˈdʒʌŋkʃən/
a formal command or admonition
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
Laurier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
the act of departing politely
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
preparationsnounUS /ˌprepərˈeɪʃənz/
plural of “preparation” — the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
in a serious manner
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was particularly desirous of seeing Mrs. Laurier about making a few final arrangements.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
the season of growth
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The mother made hasty preparations, and at break of day started on her journey, her two daughters accompanying her a short distance from the house.
urgentadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrdʒənt/
compelling immediate action
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This friend had been seriously ill for some time, and her life was despaired of.
which person or people
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Discovery With the returning spring, the mother received an urgent letter from her best friend, a widow, who lived in the country.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The mother gave them a parting injunction to work diligently and to remain at home.
