used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
accomplishmentsnounUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃmənts/
plural of “accomplishment” — the action of accomplishing something
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
how long something has existed
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
Babette
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
bilberries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
a large and stately mansion
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
pleasing or delighting
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
composingnounUS /kəmˈpoʊzɪŋ/
the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
carefully weighed
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
despisedadjectiveUS /dɪˈspaɪzd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
divisible by two
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
fashionableadjectiveUS /ˈfæʃənəbəl/
being or in accordance with current social fashions
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
formerlyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrmərli/
at a previous time
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
harpnounUS /hɑːrp/
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
participate in games or sport
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
sixteenadjectiveUS /sɪkˈstiːn/
being one more than fifteen
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
express in speech
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading One fine evening (she was then about sixteen years of age) she was walking with her old nurse in the forest, not far from the Castle, picking bilberries, and singing to herself songs of her own composing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She could even speak a little French, which was the fashionable language of the Court in those days.
which person or people
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
in the company of; together with
From this reading So that with these accomplishments she was considered a fine lady, far above the village children, who had formerly despised her.
produce a literary work
From this reading She learned to read and write, and to play on the harp.
a late time of life
From this reading Years passed by, Babette grew into a tall and charming maiden.
