used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
ALIVEadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading ALIVE!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
Arleigh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
barknounUS /bɑːrk/
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Her hands came in contact with a huge pine log.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
clutchnounUS /klʌtʃ/
the act of grasping
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
clutchedverbUS /klʌtʃt/
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
contactnounUS /ˈkɑːntækt/
close interaction
From this reading Her hands came in contact with a huge pine log.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
descentnounUS /dɪˈsent/
An action of moving downward, dropping, or falling into a deeper place.
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
drowningverbUS /ˈdraʊnɪŋ/
-ing form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
divisible by two
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
graspedverbUS /ɡræspt/
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Her hands came in contact with a huge pine log.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
logverbUS /lɔːɡ/
enter into a log, as on ships and planes
From this reading Her hands came in contact with a huge pine log.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
roused to anger
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
a particular point in time
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
numbedverbUS /nʌmd/
past form of “numb” — make numb or insensitive
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
on one occasion
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
pinenounUS /paɪn/
a coniferous tree
From this reading Her hands came in contact with a huge pine log.
Rosamond
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading She grasped its rough bark; her hands slipped, and she fell once more.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
sunkadjectiveUS /sʌŋk/
doomed to extinction
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
in a swift manner
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
at the time that
From this reading When Rosamond Arleigh struck the water in her mad descent down the steep sandy bank, she gave herself up for lost.
wildlyadverbUS /ˈwaɪldli/
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The cold, dark water closed swiftly over her, and she sunk for a moment out of sight; then she rose to the surface, and with numbed hands clutched wildly at the nearest object, even as the drowning man will clutch at a straw.
