used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
(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 With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
cannanoun
any plant of the genus Canna having large sheathing leaves and clusters of large showy flowers
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
conciliatoryadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪliːətɔːri/
making or willing to make concessions
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading His early smoothness, his slavering glibness, had disappeared.
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 His early smoothness, his slavering glibness, had disappeared.
exhibitverbUS /ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/
show an attribute, property, knowledge, or skill
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
at a previous time
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
geesenounUS /ɡiːs/
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
gezlins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
glibnessnoun
a kind of fluent easy superficiality
From this reading His early smoothness, his slavering glibness, had disappeared.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
heids
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His early smoothness, his slavering glibness, had disappeared.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
imaginaryadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmædʒəneri/
not based on fact; existing only in the imagination
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
JocknounUS /dʒɑːk/
a person trained to compete in sports
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
social deportment
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
mither
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
mun
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
obviouslyadverbUS /ˈɑːbviəsli/
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
being or occurring in fact or actuality; having verified existence; not illusory
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
Sim
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
slavering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His early smoothness, his slavering glibness, had disappeared.
smoothnessnounUS /ˈsmuːðnəs/
a texture without roughness; smooth to the touch
From this reading His early smoothness, his slavering glibness, had disappeared.
the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
thraws
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
undergoneverbUS /ˌʌndərˈɡɔːn/
inflected form of “undergo” — pass through
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was now as bitter of speech as he had formerly been conciliatory.
Weel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
winoun
a midwestern state in north central United States
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
Wilson'snounUS /ˈwɪlsənz/
possessive form of “wilson” — author of the first novel by an African American that was published in the United States (1808-1870)
From this reading Wilson's manners had obviously undergone a change.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With Sim and his troubles, real and imaginary, he was not at all careful to exhibit sympathy.
an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person
From this reading “Weel, weel, ye must lie heids and thraws wi' poverty, like Jock an' his mither”; or, “If ye canna keep geese ye mun keep gezlins.”
