used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
(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 There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
from appearances alone
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
next to; at the side of
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
rid of obstructions
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
opinion or judgment
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
any number of entities (members) considered as a unit
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
HERBERTnounUS /ˈhɜːrbərt/
United States musician and composer and conductor noted for his comic operas (1859-1924)
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
horsemannounUS /ˈhɔːrsmən/
a man skilled in equitation
From this reading The horseman on the right was Nick Ribsam.
horsemennounUS /ˈhɔːrsmən/
plural of “horseman” — a man skilled in equitation
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
MexiconounUS /ˈmeksəkoʊ/
a republic in southern North America; became independent from Spain in 1810
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
NickverbUS /nɪk/
cut slightly, with a razor
From this reading The horseman on the right was Nick Ribsam.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
arrange in a container
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
poniesnounUS /ˈpoʊniz/
plural of “pony” — a range horse of the western United States
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
PURSUERnounUS /pərˈsuːər/
a person who is pursuing and trying to overtake or capture
From this reading THE SOLITARY PURSUER.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
Ribsam
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The horseman on the right was Nick Ribsam.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The horseman on the right was Nick Ribsam.
Identical; not different.
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
characterized by or preferring solitude
From this reading THE SOLITARY PURSUER.
produced or marked by conscious design or premeditation
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
the rays of the sun
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SOLITARY PURSUER.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were four of them, beside the two pack animals, all apparently well mounted, and the clear sunlight brought them into clear relief.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Their ponies were walking slowly, not exactly north, but bearing a little to the west, so that the general direction was the same as that of our friends on their way to New Mexico.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading HERBERT held his field glass to his eyes for several minutes, while he carefully studied the group of horsemen out upon the plain.
