used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
AlinounUS /ˈɑːli/
United States prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
Muslim name for the one and only God
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
benedictionnounUS /ˌbenəˈdɪkʃən/
the act of praying for divine protection
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
benisonnoun
a spoken blessing
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
the formal act of approving
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
Carden
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
a low-lying region in central France
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
COLERIDGEnounUS /ˈkoʊlrɪdʒ/
English romantic poet (1772-1834)
From this reading COLERIDGE.
coveringnounUS /ˈkʌvərɪŋ/
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
holiestadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊliɪst/
superlative of “holy” — belonging to or derived from or associated with a divine power
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
Hugh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
kissesnounUS /ˈkɪsəz/
plural of “kiss” — the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
kneltverbUS /nelt/
inflected form of “kneel” — rest one's weight on one's knees
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
leapingnounUS /ˈliːpɪŋ/
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
held dear
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
outstretchedadjectiveUS /aʊtˈstretʃt/
fully extended especially in length
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
get something; come into possession of
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
silkenadjectiveUS /ˈsɪlkən/
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
sonorousadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːnərəs/
full and loud and deep
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
not in physical motion
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
a special situation
From this reading "_A mother is a mother still, The holiest thing alive_."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
at the time that
From this reading Then he knelt to receive the benison of the woman he loved, smiled when he felt the small hands upon his head and, leaping to his feet, swung her up into his arms, covering her face with kisses.
which person or people
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "May the blessing of Allah who is God be upon thee, O woman!"
the words that are spoken
From this reading The sonorous words, of the benediction rang through the room as Hugh Carden Ali stood with the silken curtain drawn back in one hand and the right raised in blessing upon his mother, who stood with arms outstretched in the centre of the room.
