1861
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
any thing at all
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
brought into existence
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
BurnsnounUS /bɜːrnz/
United States comedian and film actor (1896-1996)
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
compositionnounUS /ˌkɑːmpəˈzɪʃən/
the spatial property resulting from the arrangement of parts in relation to each other and to the whole
From this reading He is wholly self-taught in English literature and composition.
conscientiousadjectiveUS /ˌkɑːnʃiˈenʃəs/
characterized by extreme care and great effort
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
CotternounUS /ˈkɑːtər/
a peasant farmer in the Scottish Highlands
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
characterized by a firm and humorless belief in the validity of your opinions
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading He is wholly self-taught in English literature and composition.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
a state of high honor
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He is wholly self-taught in English literature and composition.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
the lack of knowledge or education
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He is wholly self-taught in English literature and composition.
inquirynounUS /ˌɪnˈkwaɪriː/
a search for knowledge
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
leader of the Nez Perce in their retreat from United States troops (1840-1904)
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
KentuckynounUS /kənˈtʌki/
a state in east central United States; a border state during the American Civil War; famous for breeding race horses
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
creative writing of recognized artistic value
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
LouisvillenounUS /ˈluːivɪl/
the largest city in Kentucky; located in north central Kentucky on the Ohio river; site of the Kentucky Derby
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
modestadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdəst/
marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
NelsonnounUS /ˈnelsən/
English admiral who defeated the French fleets of Napoleon but was mortally wounded at Trafalgar (1758-1805)
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
obstaclesnounUS /ˈɑːbstəkəlz/
plural of “obstacle” — something immaterial that stands in the way and must be circumvented or surmounted
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
practicallyadverbUS /ˈpræktɪkli/
almost; nearly
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
any competition
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
past form of “reveal” — make visible
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
only a very short time before
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
Seamon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
self-taught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He is wholly self-taught in English literature and composition.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
surmountedadjectiveUS /sərˈmaʊntɪd/
having something on top
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
toilverbUS /tɔɪl/
work hard
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
undreamedadjectiveUS /ənˈdriːmd/
not imagined even in a dream
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
unpretentiousadjectiveUS /ˌʌnpriˈtenʃəs/
lacking pretension or affectation
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
versesnounUS /ˈvɜːrsəz/
plural of “verse” — literature in metrical form
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Joseph Seamon Cotter was born in Nelson County, Kentucky, in 1861, but has spent practically all his life in Louisville.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His modest tender of some Christmas verses to me led to an inquiry which revealed his story of unpretentious but earnest and conscientious toil.
which person or people
From this reading The obstacles which he has surmounted were undreamed of by Burns and other sons of song who struggled up from poverty, obscurity, and ignorance to glory.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading He is wholly self-taught in English literature and composition.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The Author is one of a race that has given scarcely anything of literature to the world.
