aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
dancedverbUS /dænst/
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
start firing a weapon
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
flutteredverbUS /ˈflʌtərd/
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
moving swiftly
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
set down according to a plan
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
immediately past
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
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 When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
set afire or burning
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
and nothing more
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
pilenounUS /paɪl/
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
releaseverbUS /riˈliːs/
release, as from one's grip
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
cut with a saw
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
shirtsnounUS /ʃɜːrts/
plural of “shirt” — a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
sleevenounUS /sliːv/
the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
stakenounUS /steɪk/
(law) a right or legal share of something; a financial involvement with something
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
swan-skins
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
swansnounUS /swɑːnz/
plural of “swan” — stately heavy-bodied aquatic bird with very long neck and usually white plumage as adult
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she knew that her release was at hand and her heart danced for joy.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
propel through the air
From this reading The swans fluttered round her, and hovered low so that she could throw the shirts over them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
having come into contact
From this reading When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
nonexistent
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
(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 When they had touched them the swan-skins fell off, and her brothers stood before her living, well and beautiful.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The six shirts were done; there was only the left sleeve wanting to the last.
at the time that
From this reading When she was led to the stake, she laid the shirts on her arm, and as she stood on the pile and the fire was about to be lighted, she looked around her and saw six swans flying through the air.
