used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading A prince, and not able to stand on his legs!
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
how long something has existed
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
christeningnounUS /ˈkrɪsənɪŋ/
giving a Christian name at baptism
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
having an (over)abundance of flesh
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
immediately past
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
staying power
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
engage in
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A prince, and not able to stand on his legs!
and nothing more
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
seemingadjectiveUS /ˈsiːmɪŋ/
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
sicklyadjectiveUS /ˈsɪkli/
unhealthy looking
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
be standing; be upright
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading This happened so many times that at last people began to talk about it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
tumbledverbUS /ˈtʌmbəld/
past form of “tumble” — fall down, as if collapsing
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
at the time that
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading From a beautiful baby he became pale and sickly, seeming to have almost ceased growing, especially in his legs, which had been so fat and strong.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
witheredadjectiveUS /ˈwɪðərd/
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading It could not be said that the Prince missed his mother; children of his age cannot do that; but somehow, after she died everything seemed to go wrong with him.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading But after the day of his christening they withered, and when he was nearly a year old, and his nurse tried to make him stand, he only tumbled down.
