used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
Beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
boltnounUS /boʊlt/
a discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
chickennounUS /ˈtʃɪkən/
the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading In recognition of her faith in me.
fictionnounUS /ˈfɪkʃən/
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
hennounUS /hen/
adult female chicken
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In recognition of her faith in me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In recognition of her faith in me.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
Jane
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
Jane's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading To L. T.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In recognition of her faith in me.
merestadjectiveUS /ˈmerəst/
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
a particular point in time
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
not any; not one
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In recognition of her faith in me.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
orphannounUS /ˈɔːrfən/
a child who has lost both parents
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
politeadjectiveUS /pəˈlaɪt/
showing regard for others in manners, speech, behavior, etc.
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
recognitionnounUS /ˌrekəɡˈnɪʃən/
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading In recognition of her faith in me.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
required or under orders
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine
From this reading To L. T.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To L. T.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
vacationnounUS /veɪˈkeɪʃən/
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The fact is, I was taking a vacation from Aunt Jane.
at the time that
From this reading Never had life seemed more fair and smiling than at the moment when Aunt Jane's letter descended upon me like a bolt from the blue.
wingnounUS /wɪŋ/
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
worriesnounUS /ˈwɜːriz/
plural of “worry” — something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness
From this reading Being an orphan, I was supposed to be under Aunt Jane's wing, but this was the merest polite fiction, and I am sure that no hen with one chicken worries about it more than I did about Aunt Jane.
