used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading But rats and bats combined were not as bad as the snakes.
batsadjectiveUS /bæts/
informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
beetled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But rats and bats combined were not as bad as the snakes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
canyonnounUS /ˈkænjən/
a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
coatsnounUS /koʊts/
plural of “coat” — an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
combinedadjectiveUS /kəmˈbaɪnd/
made or joined or united into one
From this reading But rats and bats combined were not as bad as the snakes.
dankadjectiveUS /dæŋk/
unpleasantly cool and humid
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
darkestadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkəst/
superlative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
dwindledverbUS /ˈdwɪndəld/
past form of “dwindle” — become smaller or lose substance
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
flappingnounUS /ˈflæpɪŋ/
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
half-lit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
only a very short time before
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
provided with artificial light
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
middaynounUS /ˈmɪddeɪ/
the middle of the day
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But rats and bats combined were not as bad as the snakes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
and nothing more
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
passagesnounUS /ˈpæsədʒəz/
plural of “passage” — the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
a light shade of red
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
ratsnounUS /ræts/
plural of “rat” — any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
reachesnounUS /ˈriːtʃəz/
plural of “reach” — the limits within which something can be effective
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
cut with a saw
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
snakesnounUS /sneɪks/
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading But rats and bats combined were not as bad as the snakes.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
not in physical motion
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
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 At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But rats and bats combined were not as bad as the snakes.
at the time that
From this reading Always when he stumbled through one of the darkest passages, he heard and half saw immense gray bats flapping above him.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At midday the canyon was chill and dank, lit only by a half light which at times dwindled to a deep dusk as the rock walls beetled together hundreds of feet above his head.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
showing curiosity
From this reading At the end of an hour he was still wondering.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading In the half-lit reaches, he hardly took a step without seeing great rats with gray coats, yellow teeth, and evil pink eyes.
