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sheltering

Adjective
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Providing protection, cover, or refuge from storm or danger; describes comforting nature, maternal care, or safe havens in verse.

Detailed Definition
Although the word is familiar, in this poem it functions in a slightly elevated, literary way to describe the father’s roof as protective and enclosing. It helps create the feeling of safety and childhood memory, but it is still common enough that it may not need glossing.
Example
Example in poetry:
“And ’neath my father’s sheltering roof” makes sheltering an adjective of protection; Frost’s “The woods are lovely, dark and deep” can make nature seem sheltering yet dangerous; “A sheltering pine bent over the child’s tent” shows physical cover; Contemporary-style example: “Her sheltering hands made a roof against the rain”
Additional Notes
This is a common word, so it is not especially unfamiliar; it is included only because the line gives it a more literary shade.; Found in the poem, Mild the mist upon the hill by Emily Brontë
Also Known As
enveloping embracing nurturing cocooning siding
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