used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
terminate
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
breastedadjectiveUS /ˈbrestəd/
having a breast or breasts; or breasts as specified; used chiefly in compounds
From this reading The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
clefts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
travel across or pass over
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
flanksnounUS /flæŋks/
plural of “flank” — the side of military or naval formation
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
gaped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
HeretoforeadverbUS /ˌhɪrtəˈfɔːr/
used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
hillsidenounUS /ˈhɪlsaɪd/
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
hour'snounUS /ˈaʊərz/
possessive form of “hour” — a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
inaccessibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪnəkˈsesəbəl/
capable of being reached only with great difficulty or not at all
From this reading The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
inlandadjectiveUS /ˈɪnlænd/
situated away from an area's coast or border
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
morainenounUS /mərˈeɪn/
accumulated earth and stones deposited by a glacier
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
neighborhoodnounUS /ˈneɪbərhʊd/
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
not any; not one
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
capable of happening or existing
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
questnounUS /kwest/
a search for an alternative that meets cognitive criteria
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
rigidlyadverbUS /ˈrɪdʒɪdli/
in a rigid manner
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
cut with a saw
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
shiftverbUS /ʃɪft/
make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading We could see no possible chance of a break in its surface for miles.
carry out
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was nothing to do but cross the ridge before us, and take up our quest on the far side.
water'snounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/
possessive form of “water” — 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 The mountain breasted up to the water’s edge sheer and inaccessible.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Heretofore we had kept rigidly to the neighborhood of the shore, but now we had to shift our course inland.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
wormnounUS /wɜːrm/
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading An hour’s labor saw us well over the moraine, and beginning to worm our way into the deep clefts that gaped in the flanks of the hillside.
