used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
astiradjective
out of bed
From this reading Mrs. Walling’s household was astir.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
BLITHEadjectiveUS /blaɪð/
lacking or showing a lack of due concern
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
BRIDALadjectiveUS /ˈbraɪdəl/
of or relating to a wedding
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
dazzlingadjectiveUS /ˈdæzəlɪŋ/
amazingly impressive; suggestive of the flashing of lightning
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
diamondnounUS /ˈdaɪmənd/
a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
dressingnounUS /ˈdresɪŋ/
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
remove the dust from
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
a social unit living together
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
frostedadjectiveUS /ˈfrɔːstəd/
(of glass) having a roughened coating resembling frost
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Walling and her young protégée met in the breakfast room.
a social unit living together
From this reading Mrs. Walling’s household was astir.
housetops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading Mrs. Walling and her young protégée met in the breakfast room.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Walling’s household was astir.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
protégée
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Walling and her young protégée met in the breakfast room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Mrs. Walling and her young protégée met in the breakfast room.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
sparkledverbUS /ˈspɑːrkəld/
past form of “sparkle” — reflect brightly
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
sprinkledverbUS /ˈsprɪŋkəld/
past form of “sprinkle” — distribute loosely
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
thicklyadverbUS /ˈθɪkli/
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
WallingverbUS /ˈwɔːlɪŋ/
-ing form of “wall” — surround with a wall in order to fortify
From this reading Mrs. Walling and her young protégée met in the breakfast room.
Walling's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Walling’s household was astir.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were to have an early family breakfast before dressing to go to church.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading A BLITHE BRIDAL It was a splendid winter morning.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The snow, which had fallen thickly during the night, was now frozen hard on the ground, the housetops and the trees, and sparkled like frosted silver sprinkled with diamond dust in the dazzling sunshine.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Mrs. Walling and her young protégée met in the breakfast room.