used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
eagerly desirous
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
a young person of either sex
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
consultverbUS /kənˈsʌlt/
get or ask advice from
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
dollsnounUS /dɑːlz/
plural of “doll” — a small replica of a person; used as a toy
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
divisible by two
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
fairiesnounUS /ˈferiz/
plural of “fairy” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
hatedadjectiveUS /ˈheɪtəd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
engage in
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
not any; not one
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
on one occasion
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
coated with paint
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
Pantouflia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
reignedverbUS /reɪnd/
past form of “reign” — have sovereign power
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The king was anxious to consult the fairies, but the queen would not hear of such a thing.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
in or at that place or location
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
a special situation
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading ONCE upon a time there reigned in Pantouflia a king and a queen.
precisely as stated
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
vexedadjectiveUS /vekst/
troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
at the time that
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
which person or people
From this reading This vexed the king even more than the queen, who was very clever and learned, and who had hated dolls when she was a child.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With almost everything else to make them happy, they wanted one thing: they had no children.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading However, she too, in spite of all the books she read and all the pictures she painted, would have been glad enough to be the mother of a little prince.
