used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
(military) an offensive against an enemy (using weapons)
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
campaignnounUS /kæmˈpeɪn/
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
carnagenounUS /ˈkɑːrnɪdʒ/
the savage and excessive killing of many people
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
clashnounUS /klæʃ/
A violent confrontation or disagreement between opposing forces or factions.
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
collectverbUS /kəˈlekt/
get or gather together
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading Instantly the wildest confusion prevailed.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
DanesnounUS /deɪnz/
plural of “dane” — a native or inhabitant of Denmark
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
defensenounUS /dɪˈfens/
(military) military action or resources protecting a country against potential enemies
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
exultantadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzʌltənt/
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
groansnounUS /ɡroʊnz/
plural of “groan” — an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
half-dazed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
hoarseadjectiveUS /hɔːrs/
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Instantly the wildest confusion prevailed.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
NorsemennounUS /ˈnɔːrsmɪn/
plural of “norseman” — a native or inhabitant of Norway
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
have the will and intention to carry out some action
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
prevailedverbUS /prɪˈveɪld/
past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance
From this reading Instantly the wildest confusion prevailed.
SaxonsnounUS /ˈsæksənz/
plural of “saxon” — a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman Conquest
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
shoutsnounUS /ʃaʊts/
plural of “shout” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
shrieksnounUS /ʃriːks/
plural of “shriek” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
suddennessnounUS /ˈsʌdənnəs/
the quality of happening with headlong haste or without warning
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Instantly the wildest confusion prevailed.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Before they could collect themselves or form any plan for defense, the Norsemen were upon them, and then there followed an awful scene of carnage.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
a special situation
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
not known
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Saxons, half-dazed by the suddenness of the attack, sprang for their arms which hung upon the walls of the hall.
wildestadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪldɪst/
superlative of “wild” — marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Instantly the wildest confusion prevailed.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Such a thing as a winter campaign had hitherto been unknown, and they were taken completely by surprise.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
yellsnounUS /jelz/
plural of “yell” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading The clash of steel, the hoarse shouts and cries of the Saxons, the shrieks and groans of the women, mingled with the exultant yells of the Danes.
