used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
bonfiresnounUS /ˈbɑːnfaɪərz/
plural of “bonfire” — a large outdoor fire that is lighted as a signal or in celebration
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
terminate
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
collossal
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
crashverbUS /kræʃ/
fall or come down violently
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
damnounUS /dæm/
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
echoedverbUS /ˈekoʊd/
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
exertionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɜːrʃən/
use of physical or mental energy; hard work
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
exhaustionnounUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstʃən/
extreme fatigue
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
gale-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
glarenounUS /ɡler/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
inrushnoun
an inflow
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
irritabilitynounUS /ˌɪrɪtəˈbɪləti/
an irritable petulant feeling
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
massesnounUS /ˈmæsəz/
the common people generally
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
the force of workers available
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
moralenounUS /mərˈæl/
a state of individual psychological well-being based upon a sense of confidence and usefulness and purpose
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
not one, and not any
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
peaksnounUS /piːks/
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
ponderousadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːndərəs/
slow and laborious because of weight
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
precipices
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
racingnounUS /ˈreɪsɪŋ/
the sport of engaging in contests of speed
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
re-inforcing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
sapverbUS /sæp/
deplete
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
slidingadjectiveUS /ˈslaɪdɪŋ/
being a smooth continuous motion
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
splinteringnounUS /ˈsplɪntərɪŋ/
the act of chipping something
From this reading Between precipices echoed the crash of ice sliding loose and splintering as it fell in ponderous masses.
not in physical motion
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
(physics) deformation of a physical body under the action of applied forces
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
stressnounUS /stres/
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
superhumanadjectiveUS /ˌsuːpərˈhjuːmən/
above or beyond the human or demanding more than human power or endurance
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
sweatingnounUS /ˈswetɪŋ/
the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
(of flora or fauna) likely in the near future to become endangered
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
tight-frozen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
toiledverbUS /tɔɪld/
past form of “toil” — work hard
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
topsadjectiveUS /tɑːps/
of the highest quality
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
valleysnounUS /ˈvæliz/
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Through the tree tops came a confusion of voices, but none of them human.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had been faithful; they were still faithful, but the stress of exhaustion was beginning to sap their morale; to drive them into irritability so that, under the strain of almost superhuman exertion, they threatened to break.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A wind was racing to almost gale-like violence and with it came the inrush of warm air to peaks and valleys that had been tight-frozen.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading Men sweating in the glare of collossal bonfires toiled at the work of re-inforcing the dam.
