used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
abideverbUS /əˈbaɪd/
dwell
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
adolescentadjectiveUS /ˌædəˈlesənt/
relating to or peculiar to or suggestive of an adolescent
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OUR FIRST AND LAST CIGAR.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
boyhoodnounUS /ˈbɔɪhʊd/
the childhood of a boy
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
capacitynounUS /kəˈpæsəti/
capability to perform or produce
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
CIGARnounUS /sɪˈɡɑːr/
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading OUR FIRST AND LAST CIGAR.
cigar-puffing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading OUR FIRST AND LAST CIGAR.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
a social unit living together
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
injunctionnounUS /ˌɪnˈdʒʌŋkʃən/
a formal command or admonition
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
immediately past
From this reading OUR FIRST AND LAST CIGAR.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
ministersnounUS /ˈmɪnəstərz/
plural of “minister” — a person authorized to conduct religious worship
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading OUR FIRST AND LAST CIGAR.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
positiveadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːzətɪv/
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
safestadjectiveUS /ˈseɪfəst/
superlative of “safe” — free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
sanctifiedadjective
made or declared or believed to be holy; devoted to a deity or some religious ceremony or use
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
be standing; be upright
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
in or at that place or location
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
VirginianounUS /vərˈdʒɪnjə/
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
weednounUS /wiːd/
any plant that crowds out cultivated plants
From this reading The old people of the household could abide neither the sight nor the smell of the Virginia weed.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
at the time that
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The time had come in our boyhood which we thought demanded of us a capacity to smoke.
whiffed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading When ministers came there, not by positive injunction but by a sort of instinct as to what would be safest, they whiffed their pipe on the back steps.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If the house could not stand sanctified smoke, you may know how little chance there was for adolescent cigar-puffing.
