used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
ashenadjectiveUS /ˈæʃən/
anemic looking from illness or emotion
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
blankadjectiveUS /blæŋk/
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
placed crosswise
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
dankly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
depressingadjectiveUS /dɪˈpresɪŋ/
causing sad feelings of gloom and inadequacy
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
disusenounUS /dɪˈsjuːs/
the state of something that has been unused and neglected
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
drowsed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
enlivenverbUS /enˈlaɪvən/
heighten or intensify
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
divisible by two
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
grasslandnounUS /ˈɡræslænd/
land where grass or grasslike vegetation grows and is the dominant form of plant life
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
LIFE'SnounUS /laɪfs/
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading LIFE’S NIGHT WATCH.
by chance
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading LIFE’S NIGHT WATCH.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
perchnounUS /pɜːrtʃ/
support consisting of a branch or rod that serves as a resting place (especially for a bird)
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
sereadjectiveUS /sɪr/
(used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
shroudingverbUS /ˈʃraʊdɪŋ/
-ing form of “shroud” — cover as if with a shroud
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
snowdriftnoun
a mass of snow heaped up by the wind
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
soiledadjectiveUS /sɔɪld/
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
starkadjectiveUS /stɑːrk/
devoid of any qualifications or disguise or adornment
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
not in physical motion
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
stubblenounUS /ˈstʌbəl/
material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
sullenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌlən/
showing a brooding ill humor
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A soiled and sullen snowdrift lay dankly by a road that had fallen into disuse.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
look attentively
From this reading LIFE’S NIGHT WATCH.
WeedyadjectiveUS /ˈwiːdi/
abounding with or resembling weeds
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
wintryadjectiveUS /ˈwɪntri/
characteristic of or occurring in winter
From this reading It was a dull, wintry day; blank, ashen sky above--grassland, sere and stark, below.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading It was crossed now for the first time, maybe, in a full year.
but in spite of that
From this reading Weedy stubble wore shrouding of black; everything was still--so still, even the birds yet drowsed upon their perch, nor stirred a wing or throat to enliven the depressing wood.
