used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
ALICE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ALICE.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
arrestedverbUS /ərˈestɪd/
past form of “arrest” — take into custody
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
a youthful male person
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
broad-spreading
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
a small house with a single story
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
dittynounUS /ˈdɪti/
a short simple song (or the words of a poem intended to be sung)
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
foliagenounUS /ˈfoʊlɪdʒ/
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
frolicked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
having or deserving or conferring glory
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
not accessible to view
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
leantverbUS /ˈliːənt/
inflected form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
mournfuladjectiveUS /ˈmɔːrnfəl/
expressing sorrow
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
notedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəd/
widely known and esteemed
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
outpouringnounUS /ˌaʊtˈpɔːrɪŋ/
a natural flow of ground water
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
(of games) engaged in
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
recurring again and again
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading "'THE SONG.
songstressnoun
a woman songster (especially of popular songs)
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
spontaneousadjectiveUS /spɑːnˈteɪniəs/
happening or arising without apparent external cause
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
subduedadjectiveUS /səbˈduːd/
in a softened tone
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
at the time that
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
belonging to which person
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Out of sight, but within a few feet of the songstress, whose face was hidden from me by the thick foliage of the glorious old tree, in whose broad-spreading branches, I had played and frolicked when a boy.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The words were several times repeated, and I noted them down as I leant upon the trunk of the old tree.
people who are wounded
From this reading "As I approached the cottage door, my attention was arrested by a low, mournful voice, singing in sad and subdued tones, a ditty which seemed the spontaneous outpouring of a wounded spirit.
