used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
BabiesnounUS /ˈbeɪbiz/
plural of “baby” — a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
Carey's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
chickensnounUS /ˈtʃɪkənz/
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
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 It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
a reproduction of a written record (e.g. of a legal or school record)
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
daintilyadverbUS /ˈdeɪntəliː/
in a dainty and fastidious manner
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
flitted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
flocknounUS /flɑːk/
a church congregation guided by a pastor
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
hoppingverbUS /ˈhɑːpɪŋ/
inflected form of “hop” — jump lightly
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
and nothing more
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
set down according to a plan
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
liftingverbUS /ˈlɪftɪŋ/
-ing form of “lift” — raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
NancynounUS /ˈnænsi/
a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
not any; not one
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
on one occasion
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
Peter-bird
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
petrelsnounUS /ˈpetrəlz/
plural of “petrel” — relatively small long-winged tube-nosed bird that flies far from land
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No more just now, Peter-bird," she said; "I hear mother coming."
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
skippingverbUS /ˈskɪpɪŋ/
inflected form of “skip” — bypass
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
swallowsnounUS /ˈswɑːloʊz/
plural of “swallow” — a small amount of liquid food
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
male cat
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading Nancy stopped reading and laid down the copy of "Water Babies" on the sitting-room table.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
which person or people
From this reading "By and by there came along a flock of petrels, who are Mother Carey's own chickens....
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading It was a cold, dreary day in late October, with an east wind and a chill of early winter in the air.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They flitted along like a flock of swallows, hopping and skipping from wave to wave, lifting their little feet behind them so daintily that Tom fell in love with them at once."
