used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
adoptedadjectiveUS /əˈdɑːptɪd/
acquired as your own by free choice
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
ADOPTIONnounUS /əˈdɑːpʃən/
the act of accepting with approval; favorable reception
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
(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 No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
any person at all
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
Bobbie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
terminate
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
broken-hearted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
emanating from God
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
EsthernounUS /ˈestər/
(Old Testament) a beautiful Jewess chosen by the king of Persia to be his queen; she stopped a plot to massacre all the Jews in Persia (an event celebrated by Jews as the feast of Purim)
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
formalitiesnounUS /fɔːrˈmælətiz/
a requirement of etiquette or custom
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
set up or found
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
kissesnounUS /ˈkɪsəz/
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
the collection of rules imposed by authority
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
mendedverbUS /ˈmendɪd/
past form of “mend” — restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
Mither
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
not any; not one
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
personalitynounUS /ˌpɜːrsəˈnælɪti/
the complex of all the attributes--behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental--that characterize a unique individual
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
positivelyadverbUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/
extremely
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
precisely, exactly
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
an educational institution
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
happening unexpectedly
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ADOPTION OF A MOTHER Bobbie had become a personality.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He had found a mother heart, and had taken his place there by the divine right of love.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No one seemed to know how it had all come about; all anyone knew, positively, was that Bobbie suddenly began to call his teacher "Mither."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
at the time that
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading What is more, he had adopted Esther Bright as his mother, without any formalities of the law.
the words that are spoken
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading At first the children laughed when Bobbie would call her by this new name; then the baby of the school was broken-hearted, until the teacher had mended the break with kisses and tender words.
