used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
babyhoodnounUS /ˈbeɪbihʊd/
the early stage of growth or development
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
Barney
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
Barney's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
boastverbUS /boʊst/
show off
From this reading The cook had forgotten his boast.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
captivenounUS /ˈkæptɪv/
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
clungverbUS /klʌŋ/
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
coaxverbUS /koʊks/
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
prepare a hot meal
From this reading The cook had forgotten his boast.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
take in solid food
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
one or the other of two
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading A fierce parental jealousy grew in Barney's nature.
fondleverbUS /ˈfɔːndəl/
touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading The cook had forgotten his boast.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading A fierce parental jealousy grew in Barney's nature.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The cook had forgotten his boast.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A fierce parental jealousy grew in Barney's nature.
a feeling of jealous envy (especially of a rival)
From this reading A fierce parental jealousy grew in Barney's nature.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading A fierce parental jealousy grew in Barney's nature.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
parentaladjectiveUS /pərˈentəl/
designating the generation of organisms from which hybrid offspring are produced
From this reading A fierce parental jealousy grew in Barney's nature.
passionsnounUS /ˈpæʃənz/
plural of “passion” — a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
questioningadjectiveUS /ˈkwestʃənɪŋ/
perplexed (as if being expected to know something that you do not know)
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
shirtnounUS /ʃɜːrt/
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
very small
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
weeadjectiveUS /wiː/
(used informally) very small
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The little brown captive clung as always to his tiny shirt, and watched Barney's face with big, brown, questioning eyes.
yearnverbUS /jɜːrn/
desire strongly or persistently
From this reading To hold the wee bit of babyhood against his heart, to coax him to eat, to yearn over him, love him, fondle him--these were his passions.
yearnedverbUS /jɜːrnd/
past form of “yearn” — desire strongly or persistently
From this reading There was neither a cry nor a smile that day, though Barney yearned to hear either one of these baby sounds.
