used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
(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 He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
BuffalonounUS /ˈbʌfəloʊ/
large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
a movement into or inward
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
Fé
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
Lamy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
the literary culture
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
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 Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
not any; not one
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
SantanounUS /ˈsæntə/
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
From this reading Mary expected to settle down in Santa Fé for a long time; it was good for her health out here and she liked it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
create by training and teaching
From this reading He stepped off the train at Lamy expecting nothing at all.
unexploredadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪkˈsplɔːrd/
not yet discovered
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
precisely as stated
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading He had never in his life been west of Buffalo.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He had no idea of the city he was entering: what it looked like, how one passed the time, what people one would know—it was all unexplored.
produce a literary work
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Mary, his mother, had written him a few letters about it, but she had not had time to write much, and anyway she was very busy finding out for herself.
