used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
anew
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
completely unclothed
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading How good it was to be free!
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading How beautiful the country was!
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
boughsnounUS /baʊz/
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
causey
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading How beautiful the country was!
crunchverbUS /krʌntʃ/
make a crushing noise
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
flapverbUS /flæp/
move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading How good it was to be free!
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading How good it was to be free!
characterized by beauty of movement, style, form, or execution
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
grandeurnounUS /ɡrænˈduːr/
the quality of being magnificent or splendid or grand
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
heronnounUS /ˈherən/
Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How good it was to be free!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How good it was to be free!
and nothing more
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
staying power
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
lovelinessnoun
the quality of being good looking and attractive
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
marshnounUS /mɑːrʃ/
low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
the possibility of future success
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
an educational institution
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
snowballnounUS /ˈsnoʊbɔːl/
plant having heads of fragrant white trumpet-shaped flowers; grows in sandy arid regions
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
snowdriftnoun
a mass of snow heaped up by the wind
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
sulkilyadverb
in a sulky manner
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
swingverbUS /swɪŋ/
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How beautiful the country was!
in or at that place or location
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How good it was to be free!
tracerynoun
decoration consisting of an open pattern of interlacing ribs
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
urchinnounUS /ˈɜːrtʃən/
poor and often mischievous city child
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
wantonnessnoun
the trait of lacking restraint or control; reckless freedom from inhibition or worry
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading How good it was to be free!
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading To swing my legs, and to hear the crunch of the snow under my feet, were pure delight, and I turned off the causey again and again, to try the strength of the ice on the marsh, like an urchin just let out of school.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
in or at the place that
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
a Caucasian
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
which person or people
From this reading In sheer wantonness, I threw a snowball at a solemn heron, who stood in a place where the ice had been broken, and laughed to see him start and flap sulkily away.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Never before had I seen how graceful is the tracery of bare boughs against the sky, or what loveliness there is in a snowdrift, or what grandeur in a wide white prospect.
