used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
drownedverbUS /draʊnd/
past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
the act of consuming food
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
forgettingverbUS /fərˈɡetɪŋ/
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
heartyadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrti/
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
and nothing more
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
the officer below the master on a commercial ship
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
Minnie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
neglectverbUS /nəˈɡlekt/
leave undone or leave out
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
by chance
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
on the contrary
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
SEA-SHORE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SEA-SHORE.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
in the near future
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
storknounUS /stɔːrk/
large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
possessing sweep
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
express in words
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SEA-SHORE.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Minnie did not call the stork a minute too soon.
subjected to a physical (or chemical) treatment or action or agent
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
at the time that
From this reading He did not tell her this, but treated her more kindly, perhaps, when he thought how near she came to being drowned by his neglect.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had just caught sight of his mate, and, rather stupid with eating so hearty a supper, was about to fly away, forgetting his new friend.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading For the tide, which rose every minute, would soon have swept her away.
