used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
adoptedadjectiveUS /əˈdɑːptɪd/
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
Alida
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
the two together, not just one
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
Bushwoman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a young person of either sex
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a female human offspring
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
flamingadjectiveUS /ˈfleɪmɪŋ/
informal intensifiers
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
gazellenounUS /ɡəˈzel/
small swift graceful antelope of Africa and Asia having lustrous eyes
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a social unit living together
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
longedverbUS /lɔːŋd/
past form of “long” — desire strongly or persistently
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
mat-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
and nothing more
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
orphannounUS /ˈɔːrfən/
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
protectedadjectiveUS /prəˈtektɪd/
kept safe or defended from danger or injury or loss
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
releaseverbUS /riˈliːs/
release, as from one's grip
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
swinenounUS /swaɪn/
stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animals
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
uncouthadjectiveUS /ˈʌnˈkuːθ/
lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then her uncle adopted her, and she grew up in the rough, uncouth household like a gazelle among swine.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Alida was the orphan daughter of the blind old man's only brother.
at the time that
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
which person or people
From this reading "It was a strange household: the old man lived in terror of his sons, and it was Alida who took his part and protected him from their violence.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He and his wife had both been killed by lightning in a mat-house when Alida was a baby, and the child had been dragged out from under the flaming roof by an old Bushwoman.
a late time of life
From this reading His wife had been dead three years, and he longed for the day of his own release.
