used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
(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 It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
a youthful male person
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
calicoadjectiveUS /ˈkæləkoʊ/
made of calico or resembling calico in being patterned
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
make calm or still
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
casketnounUS /ˈkæskət/
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
coffinnounUS /ˈkɔːfɪn/
box in which a corpse is buried or cremated
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
gas-stove
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
a young female
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
neatadjectiveUS /niːt/
clean or organized
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
neighborsnounUS /ˈneɪbərz/
plural of “neighbor” — a person who lives (or is located) near another
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
protectingly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The girl, white and calm, sat beside him, one hand resting across the casket protectingly.
shylyadverbUS /ˈʃaɪli/
in a shy or timid or bashful manner
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
strewnverbUS /struːn/
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading The gas-stove and other things had disappeared behind the calico curtain.
third-story
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
valley-lilies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was all very neat and beautiful in the little, third-story back room.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
a Caucasian
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Before it stood the small white coffin, with the beautiful boy lying as if he were asleep, the roses strewn about him, and a mass of valley-lilies at his feet.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Three or four women from the house had brought in chairs, and some of the neighbors had slipped in shyly, half in sympathy, half in curiosity.
