Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

from one side of something to the other

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

(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 ALL IS WELL.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

have

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

placed in a grave

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

a small house with a single story

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was Franzl.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

in a willing manner

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

destroyed or killed

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

a social unit living together

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

low or inferior in station or quality

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading ALL IS WELL.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was Franzl.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

the force of workers available

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

above and across; more than

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

the time that has elapsed

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

plural of “raven” — large black bird with a straight bill and long wedge-shaped tail

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

free from harm or evil

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

especially of petals or leaves in bud; having margins rolled inward

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

creating thread

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

inflected form of “spin” — revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

informal terms for clothing

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

information about recent and important events

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was Franzl.

(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 ALL IS WELL.

in or at the place that

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

during the time that

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

in the company of; together with

From this reading The tidings that Lenz with his whole household had been buried in the snow had reached Knuslingen, and men from her village had gone to their rescue.

lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Franzl would gladly have gone with them and done her part; but her poor old feet refused to bear her.

the act of giving an account describing incidents or a course of events

From this reading The ravens flew across the valley and over the mountains, past a humble cottage where sat an old woman at the window, spinning coarse yarn, while big tears rolled down her withered cheeks upon the threads she spun.