used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
(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 But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading She was not alone.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
at any time
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
fineradjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnər/
(comparative of “fine”) greater in quality or excellence
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
devoid of good sense or judgment
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
greatnessnounUS /ˈɡreɪtnəs/
the property possessed by something or someone of outstanding importance or eminence
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
the state of being honored
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
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 “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
modestynounUS /ˈmɑːdəsti/
freedom from vanity or conceit
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
a particular point in time
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She was not alone.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
refilledverbUS /riˈfɪld/
past form of “refill” — fill something that had previously been emptied
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was not alone.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There were others, and she was always among the first to do them honour.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
trainingnounUS /ˈtreɪnɪŋ/
activity leading to skilled behavior
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
trimmedadjectiveUS /trɪmd/
made neat and tidy by trimming
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading But she stood easily first, and first, too, in the modesty of all true greatness.
virginnounUS /ˈvɜːrdʒɪn/
a person who has never had sex
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
at the time that
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
belonging to which person
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “_Five were wise, and five foolish._” When the great moment came, there was one wise virgin whose lamp had long been trimmed and daily refilled with ever finer quality of flame.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading All her life had been a training for the work which was now given to her hand.
