used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
in the past
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
(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 It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
balladsnounUS /ˈbælədz/
plural of “ballad” — a narrative song with a recurrent refrain
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
for the reason that
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
COnounUS /koʊ/
an odorless very poisonous gas that is a product of incomplete combustion of carbon
From this reading NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
a small house with a single story
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
dalenounUS /deɪl/
an open river valley (in a hilly area)
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
DUTTON
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
to or in any or all places
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
set up or found
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
greetedverbUS /ˈɡriːtəd/
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
harpnounUS /hɑːrp/
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
harpersnounUS /ˈhɑːrpərz/
plural of “harper” — someone who plays the harp
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
hear with intention
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
minstrelsnounUS /ˈmɪnstrəlz/
plural of “minstrel” — a singer of folk songs
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
ofttimesadverb
many times at short intervals
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
a multivalent nonmetallic element of the nitrogen family that occurs commonly in inorganic phosphate rocks and as organic phosphates in all living cells; is highly reactive and occurs in several allotropic forms
From this reading NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
perchanceadverbUS /pərˈtʃæns/
through chance
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
princesnounUS /ˈprɪnsəz/
plural of “prince” — a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading In court, in cottage, by princes and by humble folk, everywhere, by every one the minstrels were greeted with delight.
deliver by singing
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
singersnounUS /ˈsɪŋərz/
plural of “singer” — a person who sings
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
in the near future
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
sungnounUS /sʌŋ/
the imperial dynasty of China from 960 to 1279; noted for art and literature and philosophy
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
tunenounUS /tuːn/
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading To such sweet music did they sing the songs or ballads which they made or perchance had heard, to such sweet music, that those who listened could forget nor tale nor tune.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
migratory
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
in or at the place that
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
which person or people
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It is long, oh! so long ago, that they were sung up hill and down dale by wandering singers who soon became known all over the country as minstrels, or ofttimes, because they would carry with them a harp, as harpers.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading NEW YORK: E. P. DUTTON & CO.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Listen, children, for you will wish to hear where I found the tales which I have told you in this little book.
