Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

using the voice; not silently

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

elected vice president and became 21st President of the United States when Garfield was assassinated (1830-1886)

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a beverage made from cocoa powder and milk and sugar; usually drunk hot

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a special loved one

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

being changed over time so as to be e.g. stronger or more complete or more useful

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

at any time

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

the act of departing

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

having words so spaced that lines have straight even margins

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

the sound of laughing

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

past form of “listen” — hear with intention

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was market-day in Queningford.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

the kinship relation between an offspring and the mother

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a form of address for a man

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a child's room for a baby

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

above and across; more than

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

domestic swine

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

a feeling of sympathy and sorrow for the misfortunes of others

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

English organist at Westminster Abbey and composer of many theatrical pieces (1659-1695)

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

an untrained person who pretends to be a physician and who dispenses medical advice

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was market-day in Queningford.

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

correspondence in the sounds of two or more lines (especially final sounds)

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

cut with a saw

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

a unit of apothecary weight equal to 20 grains

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

transport commercially

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

happening unexpectedly

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

in or at that place or location

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"

not in good condition; damaged or decayed

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

(of champagne) moderately dry

From this reading "'There isn't an unsweet, unsound spot in one of them'" "Thoughts came to him, terrible thoughts" "'I saw a ship a-sailing, a-sailing on the sea'"--_Nursery Rhyme_.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was market-day in Queningford.

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading "Over their cocoa he developed his theory of life" "'Quack, quack!' said Arthur, and it made the baby nearly choke with laughter" "She listened without a scruple, justified by her motherhood" "'Now, isn't it a pity for you to be going, dearie?'"

showing curiosity

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Aggie Purcell was wondering whether Mr. Hurst would look in that afternoon at the Laurels as he had looked in on other market-days.

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Arthur lay at her feet and read aloud to her" "'John,' she said, suddenly, 'did you ever kill a pig?'"