adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
againadverbUS /əˈɡen/
anew
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
blackadjectiveUS /blæk/
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
bloodnounUS /blʌd/
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
bodynounUS /ˈbɑːdi/
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
burgnounUS /bɜːrɡ/
colloquial American term for a town
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
calfnounUS /kæf/
young of domestic cattle
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
cameverbUS /keɪm/
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
cheeksnounUS /tʃiːks/
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
coloursnounUS /ˈkʌlərz/
a distinguishing emblem
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
comeverbUS /kʌm/
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
daynounUS /deɪ/
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
Deirdre
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
DignitynounUS /ˈdɪɡnəti/
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
drinkverbUS /drɪŋk/
take in liquids
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
employedadjectiveUS /emˈplɔɪd/
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
faradverbUS /fɑːr/
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
foster-fathernoun
a man who is a foster parent
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
hairnounUS /her/
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
hathauxiliary verbUS /hæθ/
an old form of “has”
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
healthnounUS /helθ/
a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
hereadverbUS /hiːr/
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
layverbUS /leɪ/
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
Levorcham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
likeverbUS /laɪk/
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
lovenounUS /lʌv/
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
Naisi
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
nameverbUS /neɪm/
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
nighadjectiveUS /naɪ/
not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
NowadverbUS /naʊ/
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
onceadverbUS /wʌns/
on one occasion
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/
and nothing more
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
ordernounUS /ˈɔːrdər/
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
prepareverbUS /priˈper/
make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
ravenverbUS /ˈreɪvən/
obtain or seize by violence
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
rednounUS /red/
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
roastverbUS /roʊst/
cook with dry heat, usually in an oven
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
saidadjectiveUS /sed/
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
sawverbUS /sɔː/
cut with a saw
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
seeverbUS /siː/
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
skinning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
snownounUS /snoʊ/
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
sonnounUS /sʌn/
a male human offspring
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
theepronounUS /ðiː/
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "Dignity and good fortune to thee!" said Levorcham; "that man is not far away.
threenounUS /θriː/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
timenounUS /taɪm/
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
Usnach
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading "I shall never be in good health again," said Deirdre, "until the time come when I may see him."
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
whitenounUS /waɪt/
a Caucasian
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
whopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
willmodal verbUS /wɪl/
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading And "Levorcham," said Deirdre, "that man only will I love, who hath the three colours that I see here, his hair as black as the raven, his cheeks red like the blood, and his body as white as the snow."
winternounUS /ˈwɪntər/
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Now once it chanced upon a certain day in the time of winter that the foster-father of Deirdre had employed himself in skinning a calf upon the snow, in order to prepare a roast for her, and the blood of the calf lay upon the snow, and she saw a black raven who came down to drink it.
YonderadjectiveUS /ˈjɑːndər/
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading Yonder is he in the burg which is nigh; and the name of him is Naisi, the son of Usnach."
