used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
audibleadjectiveUS /ˈɑːdəbəl/
heard or perceptible by the ear
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
beetlesnounUS /ˈbiːtəlz/
plural of “beetle” — insect having biting mouthparts and front wings modified to form horny covers overlying the membranous rear wings
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
Bram
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
Dodd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
moving swiftly
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
set up or found
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
a young female
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
Haidia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
hoistedverbUS /ˈhɔɪstəd/
past form of “hoist” — raise or haul up with or as if with mechanical help
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
staying power
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
engage in
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
the force of workers available
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
a particular point in time
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
pairsnounUS /perz/
plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
raspingadjective
unpleasantly harsh or grating in sound
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
separatelyadverbUS /ˈsepərətli/
apart from others
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/
closely encircling
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
swarmnounUS /swɔːrm/
a moving crowd
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
tentaclesnounUS /ˈtentəkəlz/
plural of “tentacle” — something that acts like a tentacle in its ability to grasp and hold
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
throngnounUS /θrɔːŋ/
a large gathering of people
From this reading Instantly three pairs of beetles appeared out of the throng.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
Tommy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They could see one another, but it was impossible for them to make their voices heard above the rasping of the beetles' legs.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Their tentacles went out, and the two men and the girl found themselves hoisted separately upon the backs of the pairs.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Next moment they were flying side by side, high in the air above the surrounding swarm.
whistleverbUS /ˈwɪsəl/
make whistling sounds
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
whistledverbUS /ˈwɪsəld/
past form of “whistle” — make whistling sounds
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
but in spite of that
From this reading _At Bay_ Bram put his fingers to his mouth and whistled, a shrill whistle, yet audible to Dodd, Tommy, and Haidia.
