used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Who said you was a prairie-flower?
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
breedingnounUS /ˈbriːdɪŋ/
elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
clothing in general
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did I?
diggingnounUS /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/
the act of digging
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
footstepnounUS /ˈfʊtstep/
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
not accessible to view
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Did I?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
intensifiedadjectiveUS /ɪnˈtensəfaɪd/
made more intense
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
Je-rick-ety
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Je-rick-ety!
knucklesnounUS /ˈnʌkəlz/
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
prairie-flower
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who said you was a prairie-flower?
prairie-flowers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
on the contrary
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
refined-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Who said you was a prairie-flower?
cut with a saw
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
having a supporting base
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
stiflingnounUS /ˈstaɪflɪŋ/
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
striplingnounUS /ˈstrɪplɪŋ/
a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
twenty-fouradjectiveUS /ˈtwentifɔːr/
being four more than twenty
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Who said you was a prairie-flower?
well-madeadjective
skillfully constructed
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
which person or people
From this reading "Who said you was a prairie-flower?
Who's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He was a refined-looking stripling of not more than twenty-four, not tall, but well-made, and with an air of breeding, intensified rather than hidden by his rough clothes.
yawnverbUS /jɔːn/
utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading Who's talking about prairie-flowers--" He stopped suddenly, turned round at the sound of a footstep behind him, and saw, standing in a doorway leading to another room, a man who was digging his knuckles into his eyes and stifling a yawn.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Who said you was a prairie-flower?
