used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
abductverbUS /æbˈdʌkt/
take away to an undisclosed location against their will and usually in order to extract a ransom
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
AbolitionnounUS /ˌæbəˈlɪʃən/
the act of abolishing a system or practice or institution (especially abolishing slavery)
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
agentsnounUS /ˈeɪdʒənts/
plural of “agent” — an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
aidedadjectiveUS /ˈeɪdəd/
having help; often used as a combining form
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
armiesnounUS /ˈɑːrmiz/
plural of “army” — a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
CanadanounUS /ˈkænədə/
a nation in northern North America; the French were the first Europeans to settle in mainland Canada
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
ConfederacynounUS /kənˈfedərəsi/
the southern states that seceded from the United States in 1861
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
insureverbUS /ˌɪnˈʃʊr/
be careful or certain to do something; make certain of something
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
niecenounUS /niːs/
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
openlyadverbUS /ˈoʊpənli/
in an open way
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
opposeverbUS /əˈpoʊz/
be against; express opposition to
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
RAILWAYnounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/
line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight
From this reading THE "UNDERGROUND RAILWAY."
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
SimonnounUS /ˈsaɪmən/
one of the twelve Apostles (first century)
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
societiesnounUS /səˈsaɪətiz/
plural of “society” — an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
in the near future
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE "UNDERGROUND RAILWAY."
in or at that place or location
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
UNDERGROUNDadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/
under the level of the ground
From this reading THE "UNDERGROUND RAILWAY."
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
the act of using
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading As is well known, there was before the war what was known as an "Underground Railway" for the escape of slaves to the free States and Canada.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Simon was not absolutely certain of the success of the Union armies, and to insure the freedom of his sister and niece, he made use of the first opportunity, which soon presented itself.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While he did nothing openly to oppose the Confederacy, he aided in a secret way the escape of his sister and niece.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading This was nothing more nor less than agents sent out by Northern Abolition societies to abduct slaves, thousands of whom escaped in this manner.
