used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She looked about her.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “It sounds like a battle,” she told herself.
beamsnounUS /biːmz/
plural of “beam” — a signal transmitted along a narrow path; guides airplane pilots in darkness or bad weather
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
boom-bang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
cottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
crack-crack-crack
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
depressionnounUS /dɪˈpreʃən/
a mental state characterized by a pessimistic sense of inadequacy and a despondent lack of activity
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
enchantmentnounUS /enˈtʃæntmənt/
a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
FlorencenounUS /ˈflɔːrəns/
a city in central Italy on the Arno; provincial capital of Tuscany; center of the Italian Renaissance from 14th to 16th centuries
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading “It sounds like a battle,” she told herself.
ten 10s
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
hungernounUS /ˈhʌŋɡər/
a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It sounds like a battle,” she told herself.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “It sounds like a battle,” she told herself.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked about her.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
mechanicaladjectiveUS /məˈkænɪkəl/
using (or as if using) mechanisms or tools or devices
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
millverbUS /mɪl/
move about in a confused manner
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
shuttlesnounUS /ˈʃʌtəlz/
plural of “shuttle” — badminton equipment consisting of a ball of cork or rubber with a crown of feathers
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “And so it is—a battle against depression, cold, hunger and despair.”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “It sounds like a battle,” she told herself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
throbverbUS /θrɑːb/
pulsate or pound with abnormal force
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “It sounds like a battle,” she told herself.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
weaversnounUS /ˈwiːvərz/
plural of “weaver” — a craftsman who weaves cloth
From this reading As she entered now she was greeted by the crack-crack-crack of a hundred shuttles and by the boom-bang of weavers’ beams.
in the company of; together with
From this reading To Florence with her interest in mechanical things and her love for the glorious throb of life, the cotton mill was a place of great enchantment.
