used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
AmbrosenounUS /ˈæmbroʊz/
(Roman Catholic Church) Roman priest who became bishop of Milan
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
Barleycornnoun
a grain of barley
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
the organ of sight
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading He was a man of few words (as the saying is).
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading THE GLORIOUS PIRATE.
hairyadjectiveUS /ˈheri/
having or covered with hair
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was a man of few words (as the saying is).
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
loppedverbUS /lɑːpt/
inflected form of “lop” — cut off from a whole
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
macheat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
and nothing more
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
nodverbUS /nɑːd/
express or signify by nodding
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was a man of few words (as the saying is).
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
parchedadjectiveUS /pɑːrtʃt/
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
a course of conduct
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
PIRATEnounUS /ˈpaɪrət/
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading THE GLORIOUS PIRATE.
pleasantlyadverbUS /ˈplezəntli/
in a cheerful manner
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading He was a man of few words (as the saying is).
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GLORIOUS PIRATE.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
toilverbUS /tɔɪl/
work hard
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
tree-shoot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
trimmedadjectiveUS /trɪmd/
made neat and tidy by trimming
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was a small hairy man, bowed with toil and parched in the sun.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
at the time that
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
which person or people
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
winkedverbUS /wɪŋkt/
past form of “wink” — signal by winking
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading On our way, as we entered the first wood, we came upon the man Barleycorn, who trimmed the path with a macheat.
the words that are spoken
From this reading He was a man of few words (as the saying is).
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Ambrose passed him the time of day, and he did but nod his head, as he lopped off a tree-shoot; and, when I asked him pleasantly if his work liked him, he merely winked at me with his eye.
