Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

higher than, or over, something

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

on foot; walking

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

hard close-grained wood of any of various birch trees; used especially in furniture and interior finishes and plywood

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

a loving feeling

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin)

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

past form of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

a shortage of rainfall

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

one or the other of two

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

constituting the full quantity or extent; complete

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

status with respect to the relations between people or groups

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

set up or found

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

the act of giving

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

overeat or eat immodestly; make a pig of oneself

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

cause to stop

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

poisonous drug derived from an Eurasian plant of the genus Conium

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

the side or slope of a hill

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

not many times

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

plural of “ledge” — a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

a formation of people or things one beside another

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

an event that involves rising to a higher point (as in altitude or temperature or intensity etc.)

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

not any; not one

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

not one, and not any

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

an organization to gain political power

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

the act of passing from one state or place to the next

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

a course of conduct

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

plural of “pool” — an excavation that is (usually) filled with water

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

done with very great haste and without due deliberation

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

used of hair; thick and poorly groomed

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

inflected form of “span” — to cover or extend over an area or time period

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

in a steep manner

From this reading On either hand the bank rose steeply, giving no footing for man or beast.

not in physical motion

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

in or at that place or location

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Every man was afoot, none caring to risk a fall upon the rocks or into the black, cold water of the pools.

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The road was a difficult one; for here a tall, fern-crowned rock left but a narrow passage between itself and the shaggy hillside, and there smooth and slippery ledges, mounting one above the other, spanned the way.

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 In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading An hour before dusk found the company that had dined in the valley making their way up the dry bed of a stream, through a gorge which cleft a line of precipitous hills.

during the time that

From this reading In places, too, the drought had left pools of dark, still water, difficult to avoid, and not infrequently the entire party must come to a halt while the axemen cleared from the path a fallen birch or hemlock.