used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
abandonmentnounUS /əˈbændənmənt/
the act of giving something up
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
Alice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
Alsie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The awed young voice paused at the threshold.
Auntee
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "O, Auntee, what is it?"
awedadjectiveUS /ɔːd/
inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
From this reading The awed young voice paused at the threshold.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
inflected form of “behold” — see with attention
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
dearly loved
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a young person of either sex
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
chumnounUS /tʃʌm/
a close friend who accompanies his buddies in their activities
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a female human offspring
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
plural of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
dearly loved
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
DEDICATEDadjectiveUS /ˈdedəkeɪtəd/
devoted to a cause or ideal or purpose
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
opinion or judgment
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a social unit living together
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
GAINESverbUS /ɡeɪnz/
third-person singular of “gain” — obtain
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
a young female
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a social unit living together
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "O, Auntee, what is it?"
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
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 "O, Auntee, what is it?"
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
and nothing more
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading The awed young voice paused at the threshold.
not used up
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
sobbingnounUS /ˈsɑːbɪŋ/
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
United States clockmaker who introduced mass production (1785-1859)
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
thresholdnounUS /ˈθreʃoʊld/
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading The awed young voice paused at the threshold.
tienounUS /taɪ/
neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
twelve-year-old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
unmarriedadjectiveUS /ənˈmerid/
not married or related to the unmarried state
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
under normal conditions
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
precisely as stated
From this reading There was a very tender tie of love between these two--Alsie, the dear little twelve-year-old daughter of an older sister of the family, and Alice, the only remaining unmarried child of a household of many sons and daughters.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The awed young voice paused at the threshold.
the amount of 3-dimensional space occupied by an object
From this reading TO THE MEMORY OF MY BELOVED FATHER, JOHN THOMAS GAINES, THIS LITTLE VOLUME IS DEDICATED.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "O, Auntee, what is it?"
witnessedverbUS /ˈwɪtnəst/
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading It was a sight the little girl had never witnessed before--she had seen Auntee sad at occasional intervals, and a few times had looked upon tears in the usually merry eyes of her beloved chum, but never before had she beheld Auntee sobbing in such an abandonment of grief.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The awed young voice paused at the threshold.
