used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
adobenounUS /əˈdoʊbi/
the clay from which adobe bricks are made
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
ALISON
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
marked by assurance; exhibiting confidence
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
AWAKES
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
blessingsnounUS /ˈblesɪŋz/
plural of “blessing” — the formal act of approving
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
Brigida
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
CarlosnounUS /ˈkɑːrloʊs/
Venezuelan master terrorist raised by a Marxist-Leninist father; trained and worked with many terrorist groups (born in 1949)
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
chickensnounUS /ˈtʃɪkənz/
plural of “chicken” — the flesh of a chicken used for food
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
game-cock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
a young female
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
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 ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
MexicannounUS /ˈmeksəkən/
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
used to form the superlative
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
held or filled or in use
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
on one occasion
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
relativesnounUS /ˈrelətɪvz/
plural of “relative” — a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
recurring again and again
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
roostedverbUS /ˈruːstɪd/
past form of “roost” — sit, as on a branch
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
settlementnounUS /ˈsetəlmənt/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
stuffyadjectiveUS /ˈstʌfi/
lacking fresh air
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
tearfuladjectiveUS /ˈtɪrfəl/
filled with or marked by tears
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
an acknowledgment of appreciation
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
bound or secured closely
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
a message informing of danger
From this reading Alison had seen Brigida, had given her warning and had received tearful thanks and repeated blessings.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ALISON AWAKES An hour later the little Mexican settlement was left behind.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
in or at the place that
From this reading So the girl came out of the stuffy adobe house where chickens roosted on the chairs, a game-cock, tied by the leg, occupied one corner, and where a huge bed took up most of the space.
which person or people
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And Brigida had assured her that there were friends and relatives who would go to the assistance of Carlos.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You must get him away from there at once,” Alison had told her, “or he may be discovered.”
