used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
Alison
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
boilverbUS /bɔɪl/
come to the boiling point and change from a liquid to vapor
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
bootlacenoun
a long lace for fastening boots
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
carsnounUS /kɑːrz/
plural of “car” — a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
CindersnounUS /ˈsɪndərz/
plural of “cinder” — a fragment of incombustible matter left after a wood or coal or charcoal fire
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
ColonistnounUS /ˈkɑːlənɪst/
a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
compartmentnounUS /kəmˈpɑːrtmənt/
a space into which an area is subdivided
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
cuteadjectiveUS /kjuːt/
attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
remove the dust from
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
entertainedadjectiveUS /ˌentərˈteɪnd/
pleasantly occupied
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
joltingadjectiveUS /ˈdʒoʊltɪŋ/
causing or characterized by jolts and irregular movements
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
and nothing more
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
kettlenounUS /ˈketəl/
a metal pot for stewing or boiling; usually has a lid
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
KitnounUS /kɪt/
a case for containing a set of articles
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
Kit's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
knotnounUS /nɑːt/
a tight cluster of people or things
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
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 Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
noisilyadverbUS /ˈnɔɪzəli/
with much noise or loud and unpleasant sound
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
partitionnounUS /pɑːrˈtɪʃən/
a vertical structure that divides or separates (as a wall divides one room from another)
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
rattledadjectiveUS /ˈrætəld/
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
roofsnounUS /ruːfs/
plural of “roof” — a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
siftedverbUS /ˈsɪftɪd/
past form of “sift” — move as if through a sieve
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
that's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
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 Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Cinders rattled on the roofs and the long train noisily followed the river.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Kit leaned against the partition and entertained two children by pulling a bootlace through a knot.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Although the afternoon was hot, a stove burned in the compartment at the back of the Colonist car, and Alison waited for a tin kettle to boil.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading THE ROAD TO THE WEST Dust rolled about the jolting cars and sifted through every opening.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why, that’s just too cute!” one exclaimed, and seized Kit’s hand.
