used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
acquiredadjectiveUS /əˈkwaɪərd/
gotten through environmental forces
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
bardnounUS /bɑːrd/
a lyric poet
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
butternounUS /ˈbʌtər/
an edible emulsion of fat globules made by churning milk or cream; for cooking and table use
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading PREPARES TO LIVE BY HIS LEARNING.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
egregiously
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
ExpectationnounUS /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən/
belief about (or mental picture of) the future
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
a social unit living together
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
the head of a state government
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
grammarnounUS /ˈɡræmər/
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading They had great possessions, of the which they were not yet possessed.
Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PREPARES TO LIVE BY HIS LEARNING.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading PREPARES TO LIVE BY HIS LEARNING.
the literary culture
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading PREPARES TO LIVE BY HIS LEARNING.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
come together
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
mellifluousadjective
pleasing to the ear
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
modicumnounUS /ˈmɑːdɪkəm/
a small or moderate or token amount
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading They had great possessions, of the which they were not yet possessed.
possessionsnounUS /pəˈzeʃənz/
plural of “possession” — the act of having and controlling property
From this reading They had great possessions, of the which they were not yet possessed.
PREPARESverbUS /priˈperz/
third-person singular of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading PREPARES TO LIVE BY HIS LEARNING.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
Quixotte
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
on the contrary
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
Sancho
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
express in words
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
an educational institution
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
Shakspeare
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
sitsverbUS /sɪts/
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
express in speech
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "For now sits Expectation in the air."--_Shakspeare._ "A man, to be the governor of an island, should know something of grammar.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had great possessions, of the which they were not yet possessed.
a special situation
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading PREPARES TO LIVE BY HIS LEARNING.
Twickenham
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
universitynounUS /ˌjuːnəˈvɜːrsəti/
the body of faculty and students at a university
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had great possessions, of the which they were not yet possessed.
WheelwrightnounUS /ˈwiːlraɪt/
someone who makes and repairs wooden wheels
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
at the time that
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
which person or people
From this reading 'Grammar?' replied Sancho, 'who the d----l is he?'"--_Don Quixotte._ The mellifluous bard of Twickenham was egregiously mistaken when he pronounced "a little learning" to be "a dangerous thing."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Had it not been for the modicum of letters, small as it was, acquired by Mr. Wheelwright, at the school of which I had occasion to speak early in the present history, to say nothing, as seems most meet, of the university, his family would now have been rather short of bread and butter.
but in spite of that
From this reading They had great possessions, of the which they were not yet possessed.
