used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
anew
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
react verbally
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
audibleadjectiveUS /ˈɑːdəbəl/
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
CawverbUS /kɔː/
utter a cry, characteristic of crows, rooks, or ravens
From this reading "Caw!
without doubt or question
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
comparative of “deeply” — to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
distinctnessnoun
the quality of being sharp and clear
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
echoedverbUS /ˈekoʊd/
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
gutturaladjectiveUS /ˈɡʌtərəl/
like the sounds of frogs and crows
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
long-drawn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
neighboringadjectiveUS /ˈneɪbərɪŋ/
having a common boundary or edge; abutting; touching
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
on one occasion
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
showing intellectual penetration or emotional depth
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
RossnounUS /rɑːs/
Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
scavengernounUS /ˈskævəndʒər/
a chemical agent that is added to a chemical mixture to counteract the effects of impurities
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
startlingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtlɪŋ/
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
not in physical motion
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
thickeradjectiveUS /ˈθɪkər/
comparative of “thick” — not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading And silence once more settled down upon the scene, and seemed deeper, thicker and more profound than before.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a moment the silence was intense; then it was broken again by the familiar, long-drawn out, guttural cry, "Caw! caw!" of the black scavenger bird.
at the time that
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
woodedadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdɪd/
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading Caw!" sounded with startling distinctness in the still, dark wooded depths of Ross island.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading It may have been a half a minute after the second cry when an answer, faint, though clearly audible, was echoed from a neighboring part of the woods.
