used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
adventurousadjectiveUS /ædˈventʃərəs/
willing to undertake or seeking out new and daring enterprises
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
AprilnounUS /ˈeɪprəl/
the month following March and preceding May
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
aroused or activated
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
inflected form of “bear” — have
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
BruinnounUS /ˈbruːɪn/
a conventional name for a bear used in tales following usage in the old epic “Reynard the Fox”
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
cellarnounUS /ˈselər/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
crackverbUS /kræk/
become fractured; break or crack on the surface only
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
crampedadjectiveUS /kræmpt/
constricted in size
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
cravedadjectiveUS /kreɪvd/
wanted intensely
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
DANCING-BEAR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
one or the other of two
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
in a free manner
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
the act of departing
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
horse-barn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
nestnounUS /nest/
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
and nothing more
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
by chance
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
precisely, exactly
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
the state of being asleep
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
slumbernounUS /ˈslʌmbər/
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
sniffedverbUS /snɪft/
past form of “sniff” — perceive by inhaling through the nose
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
not moving or operating freely
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
ThanksgivingnounUS /ˌθæŋksˈɡɪvɪŋ/
fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
at the time that
From this reading This was always his way when he wanted to find out what was going on.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Finally he got up, and going to a crack in the cellar wall, sniffed the breeze, which came in quite freely.
which person or people
From this reading He felt stiff and cramped, as one had a right to, who had been sleeping since about Thanksgiving time.
yawnedverbUS /jɔːnd/
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading In either event he awoke, yawned, stretched himself and turned about in his nest under the horse-barn.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading THE LIFE OF A DANCING-BEAR About the first of April, the third year of his adventurous life, a sense of something that he craved was borne in upon the deep slumber of Black Bruin, or perhaps it was only the returning warmth that awakened him.
