used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
AllennounUS /ˈælən/
United States comedienne remembered as the confused but imperturbable partner of her husband, George Burns (1906-1964)
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
AmericansnounUS /əˈmerəkənz/
plural of “american” — a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
APPEARANCESnounUS /əˈpɪrənsəz/
plural of “appearance” — outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
Attucks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
authorsnounUS /ˈɔːθərz/
plural of “author” — writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
Banneker
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
BenjaminnounUS /ˈbendʒəmən/
gum resin used especially in treating skin irritation
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
a period of 100 years
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
ColonialadjectiveUS /kəˈloʊniəl/
of or relating to or characteristic of or inhabiting a colony
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
constitutionnounUS /ˌkɑːnstəˈtuːʃən/
law determining the fundamental political principles of a government
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
CottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/
soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
Crispus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
Crèvecour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
definitelyadverbUS /ˈdefənətli/
without question and beyond doubt
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
EARLYadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
eighteenthadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːnθ/
coming next after the seventeenth in position
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
enslavementnounUS /enˈsleɪvmənt/
the state of being a slave
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
FictionnounUS /ˈfɪkʃən/
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
FranklinnounUS /ˈfræŋklɪn/
United States historian noted for studies of Black American history (born in 1915)
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
freedmen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
(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 In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
hordesnounUS /hɔːrdz/
plural of “horde” — a vast multitude
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
integraladjectiveUS /ˈɪntəɡrəl/
existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
locallyadverbUS /ˈloʊkəli/
by a particular locality
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
Mather
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
NegronounUS /ˈniːɡroʊ/
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
NegroesnounUS /ˈniːɡroʊz/
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
novelsnounUS /ˈnɑːvəlz/
plural of “novel” — an extended fictional work in prose; usually in the form of a story
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
parcelnounUS /ˈpɑːrsəl/
a wrapped container
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
Phillis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
Richard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
SamuelnounUS /ˈsæmjuːl/
(Old Testament) Hebrew prophet and judge who anointed Saul as king
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
Sewall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
plural of “slave” — a person who is owned by someone
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
splitverbUS /splɪt/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
not in physical motion
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
WheatleynounUS /ˈwiːtli/
American poet (born in Africa) who was the first recognized Black writer in America (1753-1784)
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
at the time that
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He was the rock upon which the constitution nearly split.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In the North, there were still a few slaves and a growing body of freedmen, some of whom, like Phillis Wheatley, Benjamin Banneker, Richard Allen, and Crispus Attucks, were more than locally known.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The vast hordes of slaves, together with a good number of free Negroes, were a more integral part of southern society.
Woolman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonial authors from Cotton Mather and Samuel Sewall to Benjamin Franklin, Crèvecour and John Woolman had protested his enslavement.
produce a literary work
From this reading EARLY APPEARANCES _Early Fiction._ When Americans started to write novels, at the end of the eighteenth century, the Negro was definitely part and parcel of American life.
