used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
abruptnessnounUS /əˈbrʌptnəs/
an abrupt discourteous manner
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
achievementnounUS /əˈtʃiːvmənt/
the action of accomplishing something
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
a youthful male person
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
condonedverbUS /kənˈdoʊnd/
past form of “condone” — excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
CumberlandnounUS /ˈkʌmbərlənd/
English general; son of George II; fought unsuccessfully in the battle of Fontenoy (1721-1765)
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
(used of persons) standing above others in character or attainment or reputation
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
flauntedverbUS /ˈflɔːntɪd/
past form of “flaunt” — display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
forksnounUS /fɔːrks/
plural of “fork” — cutlery used for serving and eating food
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
GenerationsnounUS /ˌdʒenərˈeɪʃənz/
plural of “generation” — all the people living at the same time or of approximately the same age
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
homelyadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊmli/
lacking in physical beauty or proportion
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
infractionsnounUS /ˌɪnˈfrækʃənz/
plural of “infraction” — a crime less serious than a felony
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
law-breakingnoun
(criminal law) an act punishable by law; usually considered an evil act
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
meannessnounUS /ˈmiːnnəs/
the quality of being deliberately mean
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
on one occasion
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
parlancenounUS /ˈpɑːrləns/
a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
pizen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
any competition
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
relaynounUS /ˈriːleɪ/
the act of passing something along from one person or group to another
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
ridgesnounUS /ˈrɪdʒəz/
plural of “ridge” — a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
runnersnounUS /ˈrʌnərz/
plural of “runner” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
Spooners
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
surnamenounUS /ˈsɜːrneɪm/
the name used to identify the members of a family (as distinguished from each member's given name)
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
synonymnounUS /ˈsɪnənɪm/
two words that can be interchanged in a context are said to be synonymous relative to that context
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
TroublesomeadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəlsəm/
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading This morning the boy from the forks of Troublesome Creek had back his name once more.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not a distinguished name, nor one to be flaunted in pride of race or achievement.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading Generations of Spooners before him had taken up the surname and carried it like runners in a relay race--often into evil ways.
in or at the place that
From this reading On the contrary, it was a synonym for violent law-breaking and in the homely parlance of the Cumberland ridges, where certain infractions are condoned, it stood for "pizen meanness."
in the company of; together with
From this reading Many had laid down their lives and name with abruptness and violence.
