used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
agedadjectiveUS /eɪdʒd/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
a cherished desire
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
championnounUS /ˈtʃæmpiən/
someone who has won first place in a competition
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
disdainverbUS /dɪsˈdeɪn/
look down on with disdain
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
the state or quality of being widely honored and acclaimed
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
haughtyadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːti/
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
be the source of pain
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
modestadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdəst/
marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
naughtyadjectiveUS /ˈnɔːti/
suggestive of sexual impropriety
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
pertadjectiveUS /pɜːrt/
characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
pinchverbUS /pɪntʃ/
squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
be shown or be found to be
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
rejoiceverbUS /rɪˈdʒɔɪs/
feel happiness or joy
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
shieldnounUS /ʃiːld/
a protective covering or structure
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
sootheverbUS /suːð/
give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
spotlessadjectiveUS /ˈspɑːtləs/
completely neat and clean
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading To guard from hurt thy tender frame, To shield thy love and spotless name, And be the champion of thy fame, My Sister.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
(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 For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
wertauxiliary verbUS /wɜːrt/
an old form of “were”, used with “thou”
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading For thou wert always kind to me, And it will my ambition be, To prove a faithful friend to thee, My Sister.
wiltmodal verbUS /wɪlt/
an old form of “will”, used with “thou”
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
in the company of; together with
From this reading O! may it be thy precious choice, Our aged parents to rejoice, And soothe them with thy tender voice!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
would'st
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For well I know thou would’st disdain, To be, or haughty, pert, or vain, And good and modest wilt remain, My Sister.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For naughty boys and girls, ’tis true, Would pinch each other black and blue; But they were not like me or you, My Sister.
