used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
AffectionateadjectiveUS /əˈfekʃənət/
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
Barron
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
coaxedverbUS /koʊkst/
past form of “coax” — influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
coilnounUS /kɔɪl/
a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
couldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
curlingnounUS /ˈkɜːrlɪŋ/
a game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading The question fills me with despair.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
disasternounUS /dɪˈzæstər/
a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
psychological suffering
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
put on clothes
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
Elwyn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
endlessadjectiveUS /ˈendləs/
tiresomely long; seemingly without end
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
the organ of sight
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
fillsnounUS /fɪlz/
plural of “fill” — a quantity sufficient to satisfy
From this reading The question fills me with despair.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
freezingnounUS /ˈfriːzɪŋ/
the withdrawal of heat to change something from a liquid to a solid
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The question fills me with despair.
MedusanounUS /məˈduːsə/
(Greek mythology) a woman transformed into a Gorgon by Athena; she was slain by Perseus
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
petrifyverbUS /ˈpetrəfaɪ/
cause to become stonelike or stiff or dazed and stunned from fright
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The question fills me with despair.
(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
Scribner's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
snakesnounUS /sneɪks/
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
hurting
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
spitverbUS /spɪt/
expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
be standing; be upright
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
swayverbUS /sweɪ/
move back and forth or sideways
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The question fills me with despair.
a special situation
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It must have caused her sore distress That head of curling snakes to dress.
toilverbUS /tɔɪl/
work hard
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
at any time that; every time that
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
in the company of; together with
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading And, being woman and aware Of such disaster to her hair, What _could_ she do but petrify All whom she met, with freezing eye?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
writheverbUS /rɪθ/
to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)
From this reading Whenever after endless toil She coaxed it finally to coil, The music of a Passing Band Would cause each separate hair to stand On end and sway and writhe and spit,-- She couldn't "do a thing with it."
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading New York - Charles Scribner's Sons Elwyn Barron With Affectionate Regard How did Medusa do her hair?
