used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
ailingadjectiveUS /ˈeɪlɪŋ/
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
CALLETH
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DEEP CALLETH UNTO DEEP.
cellarnounUS /ˈselər/
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
a young person of either sex
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading By this time they had contrived to make the cellar a little more comfortable.
contrivedadjectiveUS /kənˈtraɪvd/
showing effects of planning or manipulation
From this reading By this time they had contrived to make the cellar a little more comfortable.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading DEEP CALLETH UNTO DEEP.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
divisible by two
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
at any time
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
faringverbUS /ˈferiŋ/
-ing form of “fare” — proceed or get along
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
Frankses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
be the source of pain
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
engage in
From this reading By this time they had contrived to make the cellar a little more comfortable.
the time between one event, process, or period and another
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading By this time they had contrived to make the cellar a little more comfortable.
Moxy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
many times at short intervals
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
ofteneradverbUS /ˈɔːfənər/
more often or more frequently
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
the act of having and controlling property
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
PrairiesnounUS /ˈpreɪriz/
plural of “prairie” — a treeless grassy plain
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
in an unfortunate way
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
in a serious manner
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
SerpentnounUS /ˈsɜːrpənt/
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
shakenadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪkən/
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By this time they had contrived to make the cellar a little more comfortable.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By this time they had contrived to make the cellar a little more comfortable.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
a source of difficulty
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
UNTOprepositionUS /ˈʌntuː/
an old word for “to”
From this reading DEEP CALLETH UNTO DEEP.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
weaklyadverbUS /ˈwiːkli/
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
at the time that
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
which person or people
From this reading About a week after they had taken possession of the cellar, little Moxy, the Serpent of the Prairies, who had been weakly ever since his fall down the steps, by which he had hurt his head and been sadly shaken, became seriously ill, and grew worse and worse.
workhousenoun
a poorhouse where able-bodied poor are compelled to labor
From this reading For some days they were not much alarmed, for the child had often been ailing--oftener of late since they had not been faring so well; and even when they were they dared not get a doctor to him for fear of being turned out, and having to go to the workhouse.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
but in spite of that
From this reading In the meantime yet worse trouble had come upon the poor Frankses.
