used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
anew
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
(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 They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You cannot stay here,’ they said to her.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
greatly pleased
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
feathersnounUS /ˈfeðərz/
plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
moving swiftly
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading ‘You cannot stay here,’ they said to her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
immediately past
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
an unmarried girl (especially a virgin)
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
overjoyedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɔɪd/
extremely joyful
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
recognisedadjectiveUS /ˈrekəɡnaɪzd/
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘You cannot stay here,’ they said to her.
cut with a saw
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
shirtnounUS /ʃɜːrt/
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading ‘You cannot stay here,’ they said to her.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
swan-skin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
swansnounUS /swɑːnz/
plural of “swan” — stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They stood on the floor and blew at one another, and blew all their feathers off, and their swan-skin came off like a shirt.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Then the maiden recognised her brothers, and overjoyed she crept out from under the bed.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her brothers were not less delighted than she to see their little sister again, but their joy did not last long.
at the time that
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading But when the sun had set she heard a noise, and saw six swans flying in at the window.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘You cannot stay here,’ they said to her.
