used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
AbelnounUS /ˈeɪbəl/
Norwegian mathematician (1802-1829)
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
(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 Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
chancesnounUS /ˈtʃænsəz/
plural of “chance” — a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
declinedverbUS /dɪˈklaɪnd/
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
Dinnett
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
distrustnounUS /dɪˈstrʌst/
doubt about someone's honesty
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
Estelle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
the state of being friends (or friendly)
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
MagnoliasnounUS /mæɡˈnoʊljəz/
plural of “magnolia” — dried bark of various magnolias; used in folk medicine
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
misadventurenounUS /mɪsədˈventʃər/
an instance of misfortune
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
outweighverbUS /ˈaʊtweɪ/
be heavier than
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
persuasionnounUS /pərˈsweɪʒən/
the act of persuading (or attempting to persuade); communication intended to induce belief or action
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
PICNICnounUS /ˈpɪknɪk/
a day devoted to an outdoor social gathering
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
ponynounUS /ˈpoʊniː/
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
privilegenounUS /ˈprɪvlədʒ/
a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
the possibility of future success
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
established beyond doubt
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
Sabina
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
an event that accomplishes its intended purpose
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
temptationnounUS /temˈteɪʃən/
something that seduces or has the quality to seduce
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Estelle promised to let him drive, and that privilege in itself proved a temptation too great to resist.
unequaladjectiveUS /əˈniːkwəl/
poorly balanced or matched in quantity or value or measure
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
at the time that
From this reading For when Estelle arrived at 'The Magnolias' in her pony carriage, Sabina proved to be sick and quite unequal to the proposed day in the air.
whole-heartedly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
winningadjectiveUS /ˈwɪnɪŋ/
having won
From this reading THE PICNIC For a long day Estelle devoted herself whole-heartedly to winning the friendship of Abel Dinnett.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Abel declined to go without his mother, but, after considerable persuasion, allowed the prospect of pleasure to outweigh his distrust.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Her chances of success were increased by an accident, though it appeared at first that the misadventure would ruin all.
