used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
Agnes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
base-burner
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
Bloomingsburg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
confined by bonds
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a youthful male person
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
CIRCUSnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəs/
a travelling company of entertainers; including trained animals
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
dining-roomnoun
a room used for dining
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
DotnounUS /dɑːt/
a very small circular shape
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
Kenway
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
mantelpiecenoun
shelf that projects from wall above fireplace
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
memorableadjectiveUS /ˈmemərəbəl/
worth remembering
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
old-fashionedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊldˈfæʃənd/
out of fashion
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
Peter'snounUS /ˈpiːtərz/
possessive form of “peter” — disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
proceedingnounUS /prəˈsiːdɪŋ/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
an arrangement of objects or people side by side in a line
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
Rufus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
sitting-room
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
stockingsnounUS /ˈstɑːkɪŋz/
plural of “stocking” — close-fitting hosiery to cover the foot and leg; come in matched pairs (usually used in the plural)
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
tenementnounUS /ˈtenəmənt/
a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
Tess
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading So now they hung them in a row by the dining-room mantelpiece in the old Corner House.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Uncle Rufus took a great deal of interest in this proceeding.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The sisters had never had a tree, but they always hung their stockings on a line behind the "base-burner" in the sitting-room of the Bloomingsburg tenement.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "THAT CIRCUS BOY" The first Christmas since the Kenway girls had "come into" Uncle Peter's estate was bound to be a memorable one for Ruth and Agnes and Tess and Dot.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Mother Kenway, while she had lived, had believed in the old-fashioned New England Christmas.
