used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
beggar's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
BlakenounUS /bleɪk/
visionary British poet and painter (1757-1827)
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
blowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
boonnounUS /buːn/
a desirable state
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
an artistic form of nonverbal communication
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
dining-roomnoun
a room used for dining
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
downstairsadverbUS /ˈdaʊnˈsterz/
on a floor below
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
fortnightnounUS /ˈfɔːrtnaɪt/
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
set up or found
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
FridaynounUS /ˈfraɪdi/
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
roused to anger
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
motleynounUS /ˈmɑːtli/
a collection containing a variety of sorts of things
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
Mottisfont
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
mummers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
not any; not one
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
pipernounUS /ˈpaɪpər/
someone who plays the bagpipe
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
proppedverbUS /prɑːpt/
inflected form of “prop” — support by placing against something solid or rigid
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
a special situation
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
tunenounUS /tuːn/
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading David Blake found it upon his breakfast table when he came downstairs.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
be dressed in
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
at the time that
From this reading Old Mr. Mottisfont had been dead for about a fortnight when the letter arrived.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading It was a Friday morning, and there was an east wind blowing.
wishingnounUS /ˈwɪʃɪŋ/
a specific feeling of desire
From this reading David came into the dining-room wishing that there were no such thing as breakfast, and there, propped up in front of his plate, was the letter.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Oh, you shall walk in the mummers’ train, And dance for a beggar’s boon, And wear as mad a motley As any under the moon, And you shall pay the piper— But I will call the tune.
