used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
ADREA'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
completely unclothed
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
barrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
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 A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
DIARYnounUS /ˈdaɪəri/
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
drearyadjectiveUS /ˈdrɪri/
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
herbagenoun
succulent herbaceous vegetation of pasture land
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
ten 10s
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
lonelier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
moorlandnounUS /ˈmʊrlænd/
open land usually with peaty soil covered with heather and bracken and moss
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
and nothing more
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
pilesnounUS /paɪlz/
venous swelling external or internal to the anal sphincter
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
scantiest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
stretchverbUS /stretʃ/
occupy a large, elongated area
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
strewnverbUS /struːn/
inflected form of “strew” — spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic)
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "ADREA'S DIARY" "A land that is lonelier than a ruin."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
not known
From this reading I was on an unknown road, and in all my life I had seen nothing so dreary.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading A cold twilight followed close upon the day.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The sky was strewn with dark clouds, and a wild wind blew in my face.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading On one side, about a hundred yards away, was the sea; on the other was a broken stretch of bare moorland covered with only the scantiest herbage and piles of barren grey rocks.
