aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
a container that is usually woven and has handles
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
billsnounUS /bɪlz/
plural of “bill” — a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
chicksnounUS /tʃɪks/
plural of “chick” — young bird especially of domestic fowl
From this reading The chicks throve.
clamorousadjective
conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
cottage-door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading MAY’S GARDEN.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
hennounUS /hen/
adult female chicken
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
staying power
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
MAY'SnounUS /meɪz/
possessive form of “may” — the month following April and preceding June
From this reading MAY’S GARDEN.
meltedadjectiveUS /ˈmeltəd/
changed from a solid to a liquid state
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
pokeverbUS /poʊk/
poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
scratchverbUS /skrætʃ/
cause friction
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
spotsnounUS /spɑːts/
spots before the eyes caused by opaque cell fragments in the vitreous humor and lens
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The chicks throve.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
Thekla
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
throveverbUS /θroʊv/
inflected form of “thrive” — grow vigorously
From this reading The chicks throve.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading But they always came back to the basket to sleep; and Thekla prepared their food, and watched over them as well as any old hen could have done.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As the snow melted, and the sun made warm spots on the earth, they began to run from the cottage-door, and poke and scratch about with their bills.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Day by day their legs grew strong, their yellow bodies round and full, and their calls for food more clamorous.
