used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
assnounUS /æs/
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
barrownounUS /ˈbæroʊ/
the quantity that a barrow will hold
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
bettersnounUS /ˈbetərz/
plural of “better” — something superior in quality or condition or effect
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
discoursesnounUS /dɪˈskɔːrsɪz/
plural of “discourse” — extended verbal expression in speech or writing
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
donkeynounUS /ˈdɑːŋki/
the symbol of the Democratic Party; introduced in cartoons by Thomas Nast in 1874
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
e'enadverb
even
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
an old word for “before”
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
at any time
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
Farringdon-street
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
the act of giving
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
destroyed or killed
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
harnessedadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrnəst/
brought under control and put to use
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
HonestynounUS /ˈɑːnəsti/
the quality of being honest
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
ladenadjectiveUS /ˈleɪdən/
filled with a great quantity
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
listensverbUS /ˈlɪsənz/
third-person singular of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
Ludgate-hill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
mackerelnounUS /ˈmækərəl/
flesh of very important usually small (to 18 in) fatty Atlantic fish
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
go across or through
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
having a supporting base
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
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 “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
trafficnounUS /ˈtræfɪk/
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “’Tis ever so, Honesty!” said I; “thou and I must e’en wait to let our betters go by.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was harnessed to a sort of barrow, laden with mackerel, and he was standing in Farringdon-street to allow the stream of traffic to pass up Ludgate-hill.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
winsnounUS /wɪnz/
plural of “win” — a victory (as in a race or other competition)
From this reading There is a gentle patience with which he listens to my discourses that wins my heart in spite of myself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I had not gone many steps ere I fell in with a donkey.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Now an ass is an animal I can never pass without giving him the time of day.
