used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
any thing at all
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
Athalie's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
blindsnounUS /blaɪndz/
plural of “blind” — people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
exhale hard
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
lacking funds
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
columnnounUS /ˈkɑːləm/
a line of units following one after another
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Somewhere in distant darkness the little owl trilled.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Somewhere in distant darkness the little owl trilled.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
let fall to the ground
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
floorsnounUS /flɔːrz/
plural of “floor” — the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
fountainnounUS /ˈfaʊntən/
a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
jetnounUS /dʒet/
an airplane powered by one or more jet engines
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Somewhere in distant darkness the little owl trilled.
for more time
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
not in physical motion
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
owlnounUS /aʊl/
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading Somewhere in distant darkness the little owl trilled.
one of four equal parts
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
slimadjectiveUS /slɪm/
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Somewhere in distant darkness the little owl trilled.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
not in physical motion
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
successive (without a break)
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
stripverbUS /strɪp/
take away possessions from someone
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
trilledadjective
uttered with a trill
From this reading Somewhere in distant darkness the little owl trilled.
close enough to be walked to
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
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 There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading * * * * * If he were walking or motionless he no longer knew it; nor did he seem to be aware of anything around.
in or at the place that
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading There was no wind to blow the fountain jet, so that every drop fell straight back where the slim column of water broke against a strip of stars above the garden wall.
but in spite of that
From this reading Lights yet burned on the lower floors and behind the drawn blinds of Athalie's room.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The night was quiet and soft and lovely; the moon still young in its first quarter.
