used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
applenounUS /ˈæpəl/
fruit with red or yellow or green skin and sweet to tart crisp whitish flesh
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
have
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
biggeradjectiveUS /ˈbɪɡər/
large or big relative to something else
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
set up or found
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
an opening into or through something
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
hoppedverbUS /hɑːpt/
inflected form of “hop” — jump lightly
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
MagpienounUS /ˈmæɡpaɪ/
long-tailed black-and-white crow that utters a raucous chattering call
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
oaknounUS /oʊk/
the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
on one occasion
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
squeezeverbUS /skwiːz/
to compress with violence, out of natural shape or condition
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
tallestadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːlɪst/
superlative of “tall” — great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Whitebird hopped in eagerly, and away back in one corner of the cave he found a little round hole, as the Magpie had said; a hole not much bigger than an apple.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then away he flew to the blue mountain and its tallest oak.
tightadjectiveUS /taɪt/
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading It must have been a tight squeeze for fat Mother Magpie!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
in or at the place that
From this reading Close by the great oak, in a lonely spot, he found the flat rock, and under it was the cave where once a bear had lived.
Whitebird
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whitebird promised to do as she said.
