used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
anew
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the Winter grew cold, very cold!
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
lacking funds
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading And the Winter grew cold, very cold!
seemingly without interruption
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
coveringnounUS /ˈkʌvərɪŋ/
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
crackedadjectiveUS /krækt/
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
DucklingnounUS /ˈdʌklɪŋ/
flesh of a young domestic duck
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
EarlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
freezingnounUS /ˈfriːzɪŋ/
the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to a solid
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
frozeverbUS /froʊz/
inflected form of “freeze” — stop moving or become immobilized
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading And the Winter grew cold, very cold!
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
an opening into or through something
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
ice-crust
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
icyadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsi/
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
immediately past
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
staying power
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
peasantnounUS /ˈpezənt/
a country person
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
cut with a saw
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
shoenounUS /ʃuː/
footwear shaped to fit the foot (below the ankle) with a flexible upper of leather or plastic and a sole and heel of heavier material
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
smalleradjectiveUS /ˈsmɔːlər/
small or little relative to something else
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
not in physical motion
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
swamverbUS /swæm/
inflected form of “swim” — travel through water
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
swimverbUS /swɪm/
travel through water
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And the Winter grew cold, very cold!
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading At last it became exhausted, and lay quite still, and thus froze fast into the ice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
the act of using
From this reading It froze so hard that the icy covering cracked again; and the Duckling was obliged to use its legs continually to prevent the hole from freezing up.
precisely as stated
From this reading And the Winter grew cold, very cold!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
at the time that
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Duckling was forced to swim about in the water, to prevent the surface from freezing entirely; but every night the hole in which it swam about became smaller and smaller.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading And the Winter grew cold, very cold!
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading Early in the morning a peasant came by, and when he saw what had happened, he took his wooden shoe, broke the ice-crust to pieces, and carried the Duckling home to his wife.
