used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading With a shudder he passed on.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
at or in the front
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
blotnounUS /blɑːt/
a blemish made by dirt
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
cheerlessadjective
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
cordnounUS /kɔːrd/
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
a small house with a single story
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
denseadjectiveUS /dens/
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He wanted now to search the face of his wife.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With a shudder he passed on.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
held dear
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
lush-sward
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
neighborsnounUS /ˈneɪbərz/
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He wanted now to search the face of his wife.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading With a shudder he passed on.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading With a shudder he passed on.
move upward
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
cut with a saw
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading He wanted now to search the face of his wife.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
shudderverbUS /ˈʃʌdər/
shake, as from cold
From this reading With a shudder he passed on.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading For ten days, the letter said, she had suffered.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He wanted now to search the face of his wife.
torturedadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrtʃərd/
experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The trees grew less dense, and then on a rise ahead of him he saw his humble cottage, like a cheerless blot on the green lush-sward about it.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading He wanted now to search the face of his wife.
at the time that
From this reading She had suffered so much that the neighbors had taken up her cause--they had taken it up when he--great God!--when he loved her and the children with every tortured cord of his being!
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He wanted now to search the face of his wife.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a shudder he passed on.
