used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
anew
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Her daughter she could not make out at all.
playing or singing with instrumental or vocal accompaniment
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
babenounUS /beɪb/
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
bearsnounUS /berz/
plural of “bear” — massive plantigrade carnivorous or omnivorous mammals with long shaggy coats and strong claws
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
caresnounUS /kerz/
plural of “care” — the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
a young person of either sex
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
a female human offspring
From this reading Her daughter she could not make out at all.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
plural of “difficulty” — an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
DITTE'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
FIRSTadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
a young female
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
engage in
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
Maren
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
many times at short intervals
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Her daughter she could not make out at all.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
procuredverbUS /proʊˈkjʊrd/
past form of “procure” — get by special effort
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
screamingadjectiveUS /ˈskriːmɪŋ/
so extremely intense as to evoke screams
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading The girl herself had got over all difficulties, and was right away in service in another county; and here was the babe left behind screaming.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
soakedadjectiveUS /soʊkt/
very drunk
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
sugarnounUS /ˈʃʊɡər/
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For old Maren it was not easy to be a mother again, much as her heart was in it.
(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 Maren attended to it as well as she could, procured good milk and gave it soaked bread and sugar, and did all she could to make up for its mother.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading DITTE'S FIRST STEP Strange how often one bears the child while another cares for it.
