Chapter VI

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

prior to a specified or implied time

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

with boldness, in a bold manner

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

the center of the Earth

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

large shaggy-haired brown bison of North American plains

From this reading It is the buffalo crossing the Mississippi.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

third-person singular of “confer” — have a conference in order to talk something over

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

traveling across

From this reading It is the buffalo crossing the Mississippi.

having or expressing dignity; especially formality or stateliness in bearing or appearance

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

of concern to or concerning the internal affairs of a nation

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

divisible by two

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

use or manipulate to one's advantage

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

opinion or judgment

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

plural of “habit” — an established custom

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

plural of “hide” — the dressed skin of an animal (especially a large animal)

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

vague or not clearly defined or stated

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It is the buffalo crossing the Mississippi.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It is the buffalo crossing the Mississippi.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

changed from a solid to a liquid state

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

a major North American river and the chief river of the United States; rises in northern Minnesota and flows southward into the Gulf of Mexico

From this reading It is the buffalo crossing the Mississippi.

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

possessive form of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

preceding all others in time or being as first made or performed

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

an amount of time

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

strengthen or make more firm

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

plural of “right” — an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

plural of “rod” — a long thin implement made of metal or wood

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

plural of “seed” — a small hard fruit

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

lively high-spirited playfulness

From this reading Any sportiveness in cattle is unexpected.

the season of growth

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

plural of “swim” — the act of swimming

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

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 The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This exploit confers some dignity on the herd in my eyes,--already dignified.

the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

being five more than twenty

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading The seeds of instinct are preserved under the thick hides of cattle and horses, like seeds in the bowels of the earth, an indefinite period.

not expected or anticipated

From this reading Any sportiveness in cattle is unexpected.

forceful exertion

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

at the time that

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading I love even to see the domestic animals reassert their native rights,--any evidence that they have not wholly lost their original wild habits and vigor; as when my neighbor's cow breaks out of her pasture early in the spring and boldly swims the river, a cold, gray tide, twenty-five or thirty rods wide, swollen by the melted snow.