used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She was always thinking about this.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
ardentadjectiveUS /ˈɑːrdənt/
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
biggestadjectiveUS /ˈbɪɡəst/
superlative of “big” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
Button-holes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
ButtonsnounUS /ˈbʌtənz/
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
dollnounUS /dɑːl/
a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
divisible by two
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
at any time
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Think how happy Hecla was.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
Hecla
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Think how happy Hecla was.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Think how happy Hecla was.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
IvynounUS /ˈaɪvi/
Old World vine with lobed evergreen leaves and black berrylike fruits
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
engage in
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
millionnounUS /ˈmɪljən/
the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
pinchedadjectiveUS /pɪntʃt/
sounding as if the nose were pinched
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
carry out
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Think how happy Hecla was.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading She was always thinking about this.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She was always thinking about this.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
trustedadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌstɪd/
(of persons) worthy of trust or confidence
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Think how happy Hecla was.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Buttons and Button-holes THREE weeks passed, and little Ivy came.
at the time that
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Her most ardent wish now—a wish which had grown stronger every day of the three weeks—was to be trusted sometimes to take care of little Ivy.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading She felt it to be a thousand million times better than having a present of the biggest doll ever made—even a doll which could open and shut its eyes, and would make a noise when pinched about the waist.
