used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
how long something has existed
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
(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 When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
batteredadjectiveUS /ˈbætərd/
damaged by blows or hard usage
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
chrysalisnounUS /ˈkrɪsəlɪs/
pupa of a moth or butterfly enclosed in a cocoon
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
defensenounUS /dɪˈfens/
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
Drennie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Very well, Drennie.
being one more than seventeen
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
emergeverbUS /ɪˈmɜːrdʒ/
come out into view, as from concealment
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
the organ of sight
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
foreseeverbUS /fɔːrˈsiː/
realize beforehand
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
the act of departing
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
of great significance or value
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
lightnessnounUS /ˈlaɪtnəs/
a feeling of joy and pride
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
matureadjectiveUS /məˈtʃʊr/
characteristic of maturity
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
mischievousadjectiveUS /ˈmɪstʃəvəs/
naughtily or annoyingly playful
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
pigtails
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
prophet's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
speciesnounUS /ˈspiːʃiz/
(biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
stuffedadjectiveUS /stʌft/
filled with something
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
teasingnounUS /ˈtiːzɪŋ/
the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
tobacconounUS /təˈbækoʊ/
leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
unimpressiveadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪmˈpresɪv/
not capable of impressing
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well, Drennie.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well, Drennie.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
at the time that
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, with a lightness of tone which was assumed as a defense against her mischievous teasing, he began:
wonderfullyadverbUS /ˈwʌndərfəli/
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When you were twelve, which is at best an unimpressive age for the female of the species, I was eighteen, and all the world knows that at eighteen a man is very mature and important.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man settled back, and stuffed tobacco into a battered pipe.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You wore pigtails then, and it took a prophet's eye to foresee how wonderfully you were going to emerge from your chrysalis."
