used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
acknowledgeverbUS /ækˈnɑːlɪdʒ/
declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
brought into existence
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
centuriesnounUS /ˈsentʃəriz/
plural of “century” — a period of 100 years
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
CoffinnounUS /ˈkɔːfɪn/
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
true confidential information
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
exileverbUS /ˈeɡzaɪl/
expel from a country
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
generationsnounUS /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃənz/
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
grandmothersnounUS /ˈɡrændmʌðərz/
plural of “grandmother” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
inheritedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈherətɪd/
occurring among members of a family usually by heredity
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
past form of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
most important element
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
mainlandnounUS /ˈmeɪnlænd/
the main land mass of a country or continent; as distinguished from an island or peninsula
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
NantucketnounUS /nænˈtʌkɪt/
an island resort off Cape Cod; formerly a center of the whaling industry
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
and nothing more
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
profaneadjectiveUS /proʊˈfeɪn/
characterized by profanity or cursing
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
rearedverbUS /rɪrd/
past form of “rear” — stand up on the hind legs, of quadrupeds
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
ReynoldsnounUS /ˈrenəldz/
English portrait painter and first president of the Royal Academy (1723-1792)
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
express in words
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
simplicitynounUS /sɪmˈplɪsəti/
the quality of being simple or uncompounded
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
summersnounUS /ˈsʌmərz/
plural of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
carry out
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Her regret was that only the summers could be spent there.
TIM'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TIM’S MOTHER AND DETAILS Mrs. Reynolds always insisted that she belonged on Nantucket Island, although she had been born and reared on the mainland.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Not a modern touch was allowed to profane the lovely simplicity of that island home.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had inherited a beautiful old house on the main street of Nantucket Town and it had been almost a religion with her to keep that house as her grandmothers for generations had kept it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “It would take centuries of exile to get a Coffin to acknowledge any other spot as home,” she would say.
