used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
brushverbUS /brʌʃ/
rub with a brush, or as if with a brush
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
circularadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrkjələr/
having the shape or form of a circle
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
cloggedadjectiveUS /klɔːɡd/
thickened or coalesced in soft thick lumps (such as clogs or clots)
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
cottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
cylindernounUS /ˈsɪləndər/
a solid bounded by a cylindrical surface and two parallel planes (the bases)
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
recognizable; marked
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
deviseverbUS /dɪˈvaɪz/
come up with (an idea, plan, explanation, theory, or principle) after a mental effort
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
dragverbUS /dræɡ/
pull, as against a resistance
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
apart from; not including
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
ginnounUS /dʒɪn/
strong liquor flavored with juniper berries
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
GreenenounUS /ɡriːn/
English novelist and Catholic (1904-1991)
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
lintnounUS /lɪnt/
fine ravellings of cotton or linen fibers
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
engage in
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
metalnounUS /ˈmetəl/
any of several chemical elements that are usually shiny solids that conduct heat or electricity and can be formed into sheets etc.
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
modelnounUS /ˈmɑːdəl/
a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
plantationnounUS /ˌplænˈteɪʃən/
an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas)
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
platesnounUS /pleɪts/
plural of “plate” — (baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
removingverbUS /riˈmuːvɪŋ/
-ing form of “remove” — remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
revolvedadjectiveUS /riˈvɑːlvd/
turned in a circle around an axis
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
saw-teeth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
sawsnounUS /sɔːz/
plural of “saw” — a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
seedsnounUS /siːdz/
plural of “seed” — a small hard fruit
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
caught or fixed
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
tinnounUS /tɪn/
a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
the act of using
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “I must devise some way to get the cotton off the teeth,” he said.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading On the plantation he could not get tin or metal plates to make these saws; finally he decided that teeth of wire would do as well or better.
wiresnounUS /ˈwaɪərz/
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Use a brush,” suggested Mrs. Greene, picking up a brush and with it removing the cotton from the wires.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading He made a model of a gin which worked well, except for the fact that the cotton lint stuck to the saw-teeth and clogged them.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading His first plan was to have a cylinder on which were fastened circular saws; as the cylinder revolved the saw-teeth would catch the cotton and drag it from the seeds.
