used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
abbessnoun
the superior of a group of nuns
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
(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 But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
a person who is in charge
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
Cædmon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
formerlyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrmərli/
at a previous time
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
set up or found
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
low or inferior in station or quality
From this reading Wonderful, indeed, all this seemed to the humble shepherd.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Wonderful, indeed, all this seemed to the humble shepherd.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
and nothing more
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
monasterynounUS /ˈmɑːnəsteri/
the residence of a religious community
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
and nothing more
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Wonderful, indeed, all this seemed to the humble shepherd.
shepherdnounUS /ˈʃepərd/
a clergyman who watches over a group of people
From this reading Wonderful, indeed, all this seemed to the humble shepherd.
deliver by singing
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he sang.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
strangestadjectiveUS /ˈstreɪndʒɪst/
superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
a special situation
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Wonderful, indeed, all this seemed to the humble shepherd.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
at the time that
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
whereasconjunctionUS /weˈræz/
in contrast with the fact that
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
which person or people
From this reading He told his companions about his dream, and they led him to the abbess, who was chief in the monastery, and bade him sing his songs for her.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Wonderful, indeed, all this seemed to the humble shepherd.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading But the strangest thing was that when he awoke he remembered every word of the song, and not only that, but he found he could sing a song about any thought that came into his mind; whereas, formerly, he had never been able to sing at all.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading Then in his sleep Cædmon sang a beautiful song, just as the youth had commanded him.
