used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
move forward, also in the metaphorical sense
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
(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 Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
befallsverbUS /bɪˈfɔːlz/
third-person singular of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
dearly loved
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
boonnounUS /buːn/
a desirable state
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
a person who is in charge
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
dubbedverbUS /dʌbd/
inflected form of “dub” — give a nickname to
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
an old word for “before”
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
featsnounUS /fiːts/
plural of “feat” — a notable achievement
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
unflinching in battle or action
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
a state of high honor
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
LiegenounUS /liːdʒ/
a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
not any; not one
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
peernounUS /pɪr/
a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
peersnounUS /pɪrz/
plural of “peer” — a person who is of equal standing with another in a group
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
reservedadjectiveUS /rɪˈzɜːrvd/
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
From this reading The first adventure that befalls May be reserved for me.”
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
spake
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading “A boon, a boon, my gracious Liege, I beg a boon of thee!
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But chief in gallant feats of arms He did himself advance, That ere he grew to man’s estate He had no peer in France.
ValentinenounUS /ˈvæləntaɪn/
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
at the time that
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
a late time of life
From this reading Thus grew the little Valentine, Beloved of King and peers; And showed in all he spake or did A wit beyond his years.
youthfuladjectiveUS /ˈjuːθfəl/
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
From this reading And now the early down began To shade his youthful chin; When Valentine was dubbed a Knight, That he might glory win.
