used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
absorbedadjectiveUS /əbˈzɔːrbd/
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
affectverbUS /əˈfekt/
have an effect upon
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
(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 “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
ancestrynounUS /ˈænsestri/
the descendants of one individual
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
Annis's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
BrownsnounUS /braʊnz/
plural of “brown” — an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
chickensnounUS /ˈtʃɪkənz/
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
COMPLICATIONSnounUS /ˌkɑːmpləˈkeɪʃənz/
plural of “complication” — the act or process of complicating
From this reading COMPLICATIONS.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
developverbUS /dɪˈveləp/
make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
zealous in devotion or affection
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
a social unit living together
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
foresawverbUS /ˌfɔːrˈsɔː/
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
a feeling of righteous anger
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
and nothing more
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
letauxiliary verbUS /let/
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
Lisa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
by chance
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
Mellicent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
Persis
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
roostverbUS /ruːst/
sit, as on a branch
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
sticklernounUS /ˈstɪkələr/
someone who insists on something
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
a special situation
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
at the time that
From this reading The first storm of indignation fell upon her devoted head the next day, when Lisa and Mellicent burst in upon her as she sat absorbed in one of her new Christmas books.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But Persis little foresaw what her interest in Annis’s ancestry was to develop, nor how it would affect the whole family.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “A nice thing you have done for us all,” began Lisa.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I just wish you had let those Browns alone; but, as you are such a stickler for justice, maybe you will enjoy having your chickens come home to roost.”
