adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
bendingnounUS /ˈbendɪŋ/
movement that causes the formation of a curve
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
bentnounUS /bent/
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
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 He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
breathnounUS /breθ/
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
brushingnounUS /ˈbrʌʃɪŋ/
the act of brushing your teeth
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
butterflyverbUS /ˈbʌtərflaɪ/
flutter like a butterfly
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
closeradverbUS /ˈkloʊsər/
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
closingnounUS /ˈkloʊzɪŋ/
the act of closing something
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
crossedadjectiveUS /krɔːst/
placed crosswise
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
deep-cut
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
dustverbUS /dʌst/
remove the dust from
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
eageradjectiveUS /ˈiːɡər/
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
eyenounUS /aɪ/
the organ of sight
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
fellverbUS /fel/
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
fig-box
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
floornounUS /flɔːr/
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
handnounUS /hænd/
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
headnounUS /hed/
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Then he lifted his head.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
leathernounUS /ˈleðər/
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/
the literary culture
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/
held up in the air
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
openingnounUS /ˈoʊpənɪŋ/
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
platenounUS /pleɪt/
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/
with low volume
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
reverentlyadverbUS /ˈrevərəntli/
with reverence; in a reverent manner
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
rollverbUS /roʊl/
move by turning over or rotating
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
rubbingnounUS /ˈrʌbɪŋ/
the resistance encountered when one body is moved in contact with another
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
sidesnounUS /saɪdz/
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He crossed to it and lifted it almost reverently, brushing a breath of dust from its leather sides....
silvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
sleevenounUS /sliːv/
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
slippedverbUS /slɪpt/
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
staringadjectiveUS /ˈsterɪŋ/
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
strapnounUS /stræp/
an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
studyingnounUS /ˈstʌdiɪŋ/
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
swungverbUS /swʌŋ/
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He bent closer to it, staring at a little silver plate that swung from the strap.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
ThenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
touchverbUS /tʌtʃ/
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
wingsnounUS /wɪŋz/
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading Then his eye fell upon it--the music roll that had slipped quietly to the floor when her eager hand had lifted itself to touch the butterfly, opening and closing his great wings in the fig-box.
wornverbUS /wɔːrn/
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading He carried it to the window, rubbing it on the worn black sleeve, and bending closer, studying the deep-cut letters.
