used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
(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 She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
any thing at all
From this reading She envied none of her mates anything but _that_.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She envied none of her mates anything but _that_.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
covetousnessnoun
an envious eagerness to possess something
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
dearly loved
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
having the place or position changed
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
dressesnounUS /ˈdresəz/
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
entertainmentnounUS /ˌentərˈteɪnmənt/
an activity that is diverting and that holds the attention
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
enviedverbUS /ˈenvid/
inflected form of “envy” — feel envious towards; admire enviously
From this reading She envied none of her mates anything but _that_.
envynounUS /ˈenvi/
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
exhibitionnounUS /ˌeksəˈbɪʃən/
the act of exhibiting
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her one great, overmastering passion was for Independence!
girlishadjectiveUS /ˈɡɜːrlɪʃ/
befitting or characteristic of a young girl
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
gymnasiumnounUS /dʒɪmˈneɪziəm/
a school for students intermediate between elementary school and college; usually grades 9 to 12
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
IndependencenounUS /ˌɪndɪˈpendəns/
freedom from control or influence of another or others
From this reading Her one great, overmastering passion was for Independence!
instructornounUS /ˌɪnˈstrʌktər/
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
jewelrynounUS /ˈdʒuːəlri/
an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems)
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
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 She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
matesnounUS /meɪts/
a pair of people who live together
From this reading She envied none of her mates anything but _that_.
mid-winter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
not one, and not any
From this reading She envied none of her mates anything but _that_.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Her one great, overmastering passion was for Independence!
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
overmastering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her one great, overmastering passion was for Independence!
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading Her one great, overmastering passion was for Independence!
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
Ruth'snounUS /ruːθs/
possessive form of “ruth” — United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
TEMPTATIONnounUS /temˈteɪʃən/
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A GREAT TEMPTATION About this time Ruth suffered a great temptation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading She was so little given to covetousness or envy, that other girls of her class might have dresses, jewelry, and many other things dear to girlish hearts, without Ruth's being at all disturbed.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Now she fell under temptation, and this was the way of it: Ruth belonged to the picked class that the physical instructor had chosen for exhibition gymnasium work at the mid-winter entertainment.
