used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
(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 "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
for the reason that
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
BOBBINnounUS /ˈbɑːbən/
a winder around which thread or tape or film or other flexible materials can be wound
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
cowardnounUS /ˈkaʊərd/
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
crueltynounUS /ˈkruːlti/
a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
exhibitionnounUS /ˌeksəˈbɪʃən/
the act of exhibiting
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
the sound of laughing
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
a particular point in time
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
nervousnessnounUS /ˈnɜːrvəsnəs/
the anxious feeling you have when you have the jitters
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
not any; not one
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
O'NeillnounUS /oʊˈniːl/
United States playwright (1888-1953)
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
olderadjectiveUS /ˈoʊldər/
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
Polly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
by chance
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
rulesnounUS /ruːlz/
plural of “rule” — a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
shrinkingnounUS /ˈʃrɪŋkɪŋ/
process or result of becoming less or smaller
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "BOBBIN" ALL her life Polly O'Neill had felt a curious shrinking from physical cruelty, and growing older had not made the least change in her feeling.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had never talked about it, but had always been fearful that at heart she was a coward.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But then no one of them understood what physical cruelty might mean and possibly might never see an exhibition of it.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The Camp Fire girls used to laugh at her because, of course, she had learned to do all of the things that their rules required without feeling any possible nervousness.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet nothing was farther from her own mind at the present moment than this fear.
