used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
awkwardadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkwərd/
causing inconvenience
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
a young person of either sex
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
a boy or man
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
hysterianounUS /hɪˈsteriə/
state of violent mental agitation
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
inheritancenounUS /ˌɪnˈherətəns/
hereditary succession to a title or an office or property
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
irresistibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪrɪˈzɪstəbəl/
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
Jessie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
liednounUS /laɪd/
a German art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
mentioningverbUS /ˈmenʃənɪŋ/
-ing form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
a particular point in time
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
cut with a saw
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
a male human offspring
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
swaggeringadjectiveUS /ˈswæɡərɪŋ/
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
tormentedadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrmentɪd/
experiencing intense pain especially mental pain
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
precisely as stated
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She brought down on herself such a storm of anger that her nerves gave way and she had a fit of hysteria.
at the time that
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading He began to feel irresistible and so tormented his wife with his swaggering that she protested by mentioning one or two awkward little facts.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When Jessie was with child he lied to himself about his son, saw himself building up a great firm for his inheritance, and from the very first moment being a hero to the little fellow.
