a |
1. art. One; any indefinite example of; used to denote a singular item of a group. | |
There was a man here looking for you yesterday. | |
2. art. Used in conjunction with the adjectives score, dozen, hundred, thousand, and million, as a function word. | |
I've seen it happen a hundred times. | |
3. art. One certain or particular; any single.Brown, Lesley, (2003) | |
We've received an interesting letter from a Mrs. Miggins of London. | |
4. art. The same; one. | |
We are of a mind on matters of morals. | |
5. art. Any, every; used before a noun which has become modified to limit its scope; also used with a negative to indicate not a single one.Lindberg, Christine A. (2007) | |
A man who dies intestate leaves his children troubles and difficulties. | |
He fell all that way, and hasn't a bump on his head? | |
6. art. Used before plural nouns modified by few, good many, couple, great many, etc. | |
7. art. Someone or something like; similar to; Used before a proper noun to create an example out of it. | |
The center of the village was becoming a Times Square. | |
8. prep. (archaic) To do with position or direction; In, on, at, by, towards, onto. | |
Stand a tiptoe. | |
9. prep. To do with separation; In, into. | |
Torn a pieces. | |
10. prep. To do with time; Each, per, in, on, by. | |
I brush my teeth twice a day. | |
11. prep. (obsolete) To do with method; In, with. | |
12. prep. (obsolete) To do with role or capacity; In. | |
A God’s name. | |
13. prep. To do with status; In. | |
King James Bible (II Chronicles 2:18) | |
To set the people a worke. | |
14. prep. (archaic) To do with process, with a passive verb; In the course of, experiencing. | |
1964, Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’ | |
The times, they are a-changin'. | |
15. prep. (archaic) To do with an action, an active verb; Engaged in. | |
1611, King James Bible, Hebrews 11-21 | |
Jacob, when he was a dying | |
16. prep. (archaic) To do with an action/movement; To, into. | |
17. v. (archaic, or slang) Have. | |
I'd a come, if you'd a asked. | |
18. pron. (obsolete, outside, England, and Scotland dialects) He. | |
19. interj. A meaningless syllable; ah. | |
20. prep. (archaic, slang) Of. | |
The name of John a Gaunt. | |
21. adv. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
22. adj. (chiefly Scotland) All. | |
spotted |
1. adj. Discoloured by spots; stained. | |
2. adj. (no comparative or superlative) Characterized by spots (used especially of animals and plants). | |
the spotted hyena | |
3. v. simple past tense and past participle of spot | |
spot |
1. n. A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. | |
The leopard is noted for the spots of color in its fur. | |
2. n. A stain or disfiguring mark. | |
I have tried everything, and I can’t get this spot out. | |
3. n. A pimple, papule or pustule. | |
That morning, I saw that a spot had come up on my chin. | |
I think she's got chicken pox; she's covered in spots. | |
4. n. A small, unspecified amount or quantity. | |
Would you like to come round on Sunday for a spot of lunch? | |
5. n. (slang) A bill of five-dollar or ten-dollar denomination in dollars. | |
Here's the twenty bucks I owe you, a ten spot and two five spots. | |
6. n. A location or area. | |
I like to eat lunch in a pleasant spot outside. | |
For our anniversary we went back to the same spot where we first met. | |
7. n. A parking space. | |
8. n. (sports) An official determination of placement. | |
The fans were very unhappy with the referee's spot of the ball. | |
9. n. A bright lamp; a spotlight. | |
10. n. (US, advertising) A brief advertisement or program segment on television. | |
Did you see the spot on the news about the shoelace factory? | |
11. n. Difficult situation; predicament. | |
She was in a real spot when she ran into her separated husband while on a date. | |
12. n. (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting) One who spots (supports or assists a maneuver, or is prepared to assist if safety dictates); a spotter. | |
13. n. (soccer) Penalty spot. | |
14. n. The act of spotting or noticing something. | |
- You've misspelled "terrapin" here. | |
- Whoops. Good spot. | |
15. n. A variety of the common domestic pigeon, so called from a spot on its head just above the beak. | |
16. n. A food fish of the Atlantic coast of the United States, with a black spot behind the shoulders and fifteen oblique dark bars on the sides. | |
17. n. The southern redfish, or (vern, red horse) , which has a spot on each side at the base of the tail. | |
18. n. (in the brokers' slang) Commodities, such as merchandise and cotton, sold for immediate delivery. | |
19. n. An autosoliton. | |
20. n. (finance) A decimal point; point. | |
Twelve spot two five pounds sterling. (ie. £12.25) | |
21. v. To see, find; to pick out, notice, locate, distinguish or identify. | |
Try to spot the differences between these two pictures. | |
22. v. (finance) To loan a small amount of money to someone. | |
I’ll spot you ten dollars for lunch. | |
23. v. To stain; to leave a spot (on). | |
Hard water will spot if it is left on a surface. | |
a garment spotted with mould | |
24. v. To remove, or attempt to remove, a stain. | |
I spotted the carpet where the child dropped spaghetti. | |
25. v. (gymnastics, dance, weightlifting, climbing) To support or assist a maneuver, or to be prepared to assist if safety dictates. | |
I can’t do a back handspring unless somebody spots me. | |
26. v. (dance) To keep the head and eyes pointing in a single direction while turning. | |
Most figure skaters do not spot their turns like dancers do. | |
27. v. To stain; to blemish; to taint; to disgrace; to tarnish, as reputation. | |
28. v. To cut or chip (timber) in preparation for hewing. | |
29. v. To place an object at a location indicated by a spot. Notably in billiards or snooker. | |
The referee had to spot the pink on the blue spot. | |
30. adj. (commerce) Available on the spot; on hand for immediate payment or delivery. | |
spot wheat; spot cash | |
food |
1. n. Any solid substance that can be consumed by living organisms, especially by eating, in order to sustain life. | |
The innkeeper brought them food and drink. | |
2. n. A foodstuff. | |
3. n. (figuratively) Anything that nourishes or sustains. | |
The man's inspiring speech gave us food for thought. | |
Mozart and Bach are food for my soul. | |
fish |
1. n. A cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills. | |
Salmon is a fish. | |
The Sun Mother created all the fishes of the world. | |
The Sun Mother created all the fish of the world. | |
We have many fish in our aquarium. | |
2. n. (archaic, or loosely) Any animal (or any vertebrate) that lives exclusively in water. | |
3. n. The flesh of the fish used as food. | |
The seafood pasta had lots of fish but not enough pasta. | |
4. n. A card game in which the object is to obtain cards in pairs or sets of four (depending on the variation), by asking the other players for cards of a particular rank. | |
5. n. (derogatory, slang) A woman. | |
6. n. (slang) An easy victim for swindling. | |
7. n. (poker slang) A bad poker player. Compare shark (a good poker player). | |
8. n. (nautical) A makeshift overlapping longitudinal brace, originally shaped roughly like a fish, used to temporarily repair or extend a spar or mast of a ship. | |
9. n. (nautical) A purchase used to fish the anchor. | |
10. n. (nautical) A torpedo. | |
11. n. (zoology) A paraphyletic grouping of the following extant taxonomic groups: | |
12. n. Class Myxini, the hagfish (no vertebra) | |
13. n. Class Petromyzontida, the lampreys (no jaw) | |
14. n. Within infraphylum Gnathostomata (jawed vertebrates (also including Tetrapoda) | |
15. n. # Class Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous fish such as sharks and rays | |
16. n. # Superclass Osteichthyes, bony fish. | |
17. n. (cartomancy) The thirty-fourth Lenormand card. | |
18. n. A period of time spent fishing. | |
The fish at the lake didn't prove successful. | |
19. n. An instance of seeking something. | |
Merely two fishes for information told the whole story. | |
20. v. (intransitive) To hunt fish or other aquatic animals. | |
She went to the river to fish for trout. | |
21. v. To search (a body of water) for something other than fish. | |
They fished the surrounding lakes for the dead body. | |
22. v. (intransitive) To (attempt to) find or get hold of an object by searching among other objects. | |
Why are you fishing through my things? | |
He was fishing for the keys in his pocket. | |
23. v. (intransitive, followed by "for" or "around for") To talk to people in an attempt to get them to say something. | |
The detective visited the local pubs fishing around for more information. | |
The actors loitered at the door, fishing for compliments. | |
24. v. (intransitive, cricket) Of a batsman, to attempt to hit a ball outside off stump and miss it. | |
25. v. (nautical) To repair a spar or mast by fastening a beam or other long object (often called a fish) over the damaged part (see Noun above). | |
26. n. (obsolete) A counter, used in various games. | |
of |
1. prep. Expressing distance or motion. | |
2. prep. (now obsolete, or dialectal) From (of distance, direction), "off". | |
3. prep. (obsolete except in phrases) Since, from (a given time, earlier state etc.). | |
4. prep. From, away from (a position, number, distance etc.). | |
There are no shops within twenty miles of the cottage. | |
5. prep. (North America, Scotland, Ireland) Before (the hour); to. | |
What's the time? / Nearly a quarter of three. | |
6. prep. Expressing separation. | |
7. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with the action indicated by a transitive verb and the quality or substance by a grammatical object.) | |
Finally she was relieved of the burden of caring for her sick husband. | |
8. prep. (Indicating removal, absence or separation, with resulting state indicated by an adjective.) | |
He seemed devoid of human feelings. | |
9. prep. (obsolete) (Indicating removal, absence or separation, construed with an intransitive verb.) | |
10. prep. Expressing origin. | |
11. prep. (Indicating an ancestral source or origin of descent.) | |
The word is believed to be of Japanese origin. | |
12. prep. (Indicating a (non-physical) source of action or emotion; introducing a cause, instigation); from, out of, as an expression of. | |
The invention was born of necessity. | |
13. prep. (following an intransitive verb) (Indicates the source or cause of the verb.) | |
It is said that she died of a broken heart. | |
14. prep. (following an adjective) (Indicates the subject or cause of the adjective.) | |
I am tired of all this nonsense. | |
15. prep. Expressing agency. | |
16. prep. (following a passive verb) (Indicates the agent (for most verbs, now usually expressed with by).) | |
I am not particularly enamoured of this idea. | |
17. prep. (Used to introduce the "subjective genitive"; following a noun to form the head of a postmodifying noun phrase) (see also 'Possession' senses below). | |
The contract can be terminated at any time with the agreement of both parties. | |
18. prep. (following an adjective) (Used to indicate the agent of something described by the adjective.) | |
It was very brave of you to speak out like that. | |
19. prep. Expressing composition, substance. | |
20. prep. (after a verb expressing construction, making etc.) (Used to indicate the material or substance used.) | |
Many 'corks' are now actually made of plastic. | |
21. prep. (directly following a noun) (Used to indicate the material of the just-mentioned object.) | |
She wore a dress of silk. | |
22. prep. (Indicating the composition of a given collective or quantitative noun.) | |
What a lot of nonsense! | |
23. prep. (Used to link a given class of things with a specific example of that class.) | |
Welcome to the historic town of Harwich. | |
24. prep. (Links two nouns in near-apposition, with the first qualifying the second); "which is also". | |
I'm not driving this wreck of a car. | |
25. prep. Introducing subject matter. | |
26. prep. (Links an intransitive verb, or a transitive verb and its subject (especially verbs to do with thinking, feeling, expressing etc.), with its subject-ma | |
I'm always thinking of you. | |
27. prep. (following a noun (now chiefly nouns of knowledge, communication etc.)) (Introduces its subject matter); about, concerning. | |
He told us the story of his journey to India. | |
28. prep. (following an adjective) (Introduces its subject matter.) | |
This behaviour is typical of teenagers. | |
29. prep. Having partitive effect. | |
30. prep. (following a number or other quantitive word) (Introduces the whole for which is indicated only the specified part or segment); "from among". | |
Most of these apples are rotten. | |
31. prep. (following a noun) (Indicates a given part.) | |
32. prep. (now archaic, literary, with preceding partitive word assumed, or as a predicate after to be) Some, an amount of, one of. | |
On the whole, they seem to be of the decent sort. | |
33. prep. (Links to a genitive noun or possessive pronoun, with partitive effect (though now often merged with possessive senses, below).) | |
He is a friend of mine. | |
34. prep. Expressing possession. | |
35. prep. Belonging to, existing in, or taking place in a given location, place or time. Compare "origin" senses, above. | |
He was perhaps the most famous scientist of the twentieth century. | |
36. prep. Belonging to (a place) through having title, ownership or control over it. | |
The owner of the nightclub was arrested. | |
37. prep. Belonging to (someone or something) as something they possess or have as a characteristic; (the "possessive genitive". (With abstract nouns, this inter | |
Keep the handle of the saucepan away from the flames. | |
38. prep. Forming the "objective genitive". | |
39. prep. (Follows an agent noun, verbal noun or noun of action.) | |
She had a profound distrust of the police. | |
40. prep. Expressing qualities or characteristics. | |
41. prep. (now archaic, or literary) (Links an adjective with a noun or noun phrase to form a quasi-adverbial qualifier); in respect to, as regards. | |
My companion seemed affable and easy of manner. | |
42. prep. (Indicates a quality or characteristic); "characterized by". | |
Pooh was said to be a bear of very little brain. | |
43. prep. (Indicates quantity, age, price, etc.) | |
We have been paying interest at a rate of 10%. | |
44. prep. (US, informal considered incorrect by some) (Used to link singular indefinite nouns (preceded by the indefinite article) and attributive adjectives mod | |
It's not that big of a deal. | |
45. prep. Expressing a point in time. | |
46. prep. (chiefly regional) During the course of (a set period of time, day of the week etc.), now specifically with implied repetition or regularity. | |
Of an evening, we would often go for a stroll along the river. | |
47. prep. (UK dialectal, chiefly in negative constructions) For (a given length of time). | |
I've not tekken her out of a goodly long while. | |
48. prep. (after a noun) (Indicates duration of a state, activity etc.) | |
After a delay of three hours, the plane finally took off. | |
the |
1. art. Definite grammatical article that implies necessarily that an entity it articulates is presupposed; something already mentioned, or completely specified later in that same sentence, or assumed already | |
I’m reading the book. (Compare I’m reading a book.) | |
The street in front of your house. (Compare A street in Paris.) | |
The men and women watched the man give the birdseed to the bird. | |
2. art. Used before a noun modified by a restrictive relative clause, indicating that the noun refers to a single referent defined by the relative clause. | |
The street that runs through my hometown. | |
3. art. Used before an object considered to be unique, or of which there is only one at a time. | |
No one knows how many galaxies there are in the universe. | |
God save the Queen! | |
4. art. Used before a superlative or an ordinal number modifying a noun, to indicate that the noun refers to a single item. | |
That was the best apple pie ever. | |
5. art. Added to a superlative or an ordinal number to make it into a substantive. | |
That apple pie was the best. | |
6. art. Introducing a singular term to be taken generically: preceding a name of something standing for a whole class. | |
7. art. Used before an adjective, indicating all things (especially persons) described by that adjective. | |
Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable. | |
8. art. Used to indicate a certain example of (a noun) which is usually of most concern or most common or familiar. | |
No one in the whole country had seen it before. | |
I don't think I'll get to it until the morning. | |
9. art. Used before a body part (especially of someone previously mentioned), as an alternative to a possessive pronoun. | |
A stone hit him on the head. (= “A stone hit him on his head.”) | |
10. art. When stressed, indicates that it describes an object which is considered to be best or exclusively worthy of attention. | |
That is the hospital to go to for heart surgery. | |
11. adv. 1=With a comparative ormore and a verb phrase, establishes a parallel with one or more other such comparatives. | |
The hotter the better. | |
The more I think about it, the weaker it looks. | |
The more money donated, the more books purchased, and the more happy children. | |
It looks weaker and weaker, the more I think about it. | |
12. adv. 1=With a comparative, and often withfor it, indicates a result more like said comparative. This can be negated withnone. | |
It was a difficult time, but I’m the wiser for it. | |
It was a difficult time, and I’m none the wiser for it. | |
I'm much the wiser for having had a difficult time like that. | |
genus |
1. n. (taxonomy) a rank in the classification of organisms, below family and above species; a taxon at that rank | |
All magnolias belong to the genus Magnolia. | |
Other species of the genus Bos are often called cattle or wild cattle. | |
There are only two genera and species of seadragons. | |
2. n. A group with common attributes. | |
3. n. (topology, graph theory, algebraic geometry) A natural number representing any of several related measures of the complexity of a given manifold or graph. | |
4. n. (semantics) Within a definition, a broader category of the defined concept. | |
epinephelus |
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