used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
(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 She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading BEGINNING TO REMEMBER.
exhale hard
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
byfore
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
a young person of either sex
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
Clifford
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
corn-silk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
dandelionnounUS /ˈdændəlaɪən/
any of several herbs of the genus Taraxacum having long tap roots and deeply notched leaves and bright yellow flowers followed by fluffy seed balls
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
start firing a weapon
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
moving swiftly
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
Katie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
information about recent and important events
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
and nothing more
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
To recall to mind.
From this reading BEGINNING TO REMEMBER.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
express in words
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading BEGINNING TO REMEMBER.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
precisely as stated
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Katie Clifford was a very bright child.
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 She almost knew enough to keep out of fire and water, but not quite.
at the time that
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Her hair was soft and flying like corn-silk, and when the wind took it you would think it meant to blow it off like a dandelion top.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading She looked like other little girls, only so wise,--O, so very wise!--that you couldn't tell her any news about the earth, or the sun, moon, and stars, for she knew all about it "byfore."
