used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
bull-dogs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
children's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
dressesnounUS /ˈdresəz/
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
divisible by two
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
garmentsnounUS /ˈɡɑːrmənts/
plural of “garment” — an article of clothing
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
lady'snounUS /ˈleɪdiz/
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
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 But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
used to form the superlative
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
mothersnounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
plural of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
not any; not one
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading For he could see that it was a lady’s room by the dresses which lay about.
terriernounUS /ˈteriər/
any of several usually small short-bodied breeds originally trained to hunt animals living underground
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The horses he liked; but the dogs he did not care for much, for there were no bull-dogs among them, not even a terrier.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
male cat
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
precisely as stated
From this reading That was a very pretty picture, Tom thought, to hang in a lady’s room.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were pictures of ladies and gentlemen, and pictures of horses and dogs.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
which person or people
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
in the company of; together with
From this reading But the two pictures which took his fancy most were, one a man in long garments, with little children and their mothers round him, who was laying his hand upon the children’s heads.
