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 Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

later than; following

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

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

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

a youthful male person

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

a young person of either sex

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

traveling across

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

first in order of birth

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

something regarded with special favor or liking

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

a boy or man

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

a young female

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

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

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

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

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

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

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

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

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

someone who doesn't understand what is going on

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

plural of “mine” — excavation in the earth from which ores and minerals are extracted

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

immediately following in time or order

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

above and across; more than

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

the act of physically reaching or thrusting out

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

To recall to mind.

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

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

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

plural of “sierra” — a range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline)

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

suffering from lack of food

From this reading Poor, timid, starved Little Stumps!

plural of “stump” — the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled

From this reading The youngest was Stumps.

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

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

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

showing fear and lack of confidence

From this reading Poor, timid, starved Little Stumps!

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading The next eldest child, Madge, was a girl of ten, her father's favorite, and she was wild enough too.

any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

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

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

From this reading Their mother had died crossing the plains, and their father had had a leg broken by a wagon wheel passing over it as they descended the Sierras, and he was for a long time after reaching the mines miserable, lame and poor.

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading The eldest boy, Jim Keene, as I remember him, was a bright little fellow, but wild as an Indian and full of mischief.

superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading The youngest was Stumps.