used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
a youthful male person
From this reading ON THE ROAD The wrong boy!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there was no time for speculation.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
crashverbUS /kræʃ/
fall or come down violently
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
cursesnounUS /ˈkɜːrsɪz/
plural of “curse” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
dazenounUS /deɪz/
the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
extinguishedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈstɪŋɡwɪʃt/
of a conditioned response; caused to die out because of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
footingnounUS /ˈfʊtɪŋ/
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
gropedverbUS /ɡroʊpt/
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
growlnounUS /ɡraʊl/
the sound of growling (as made by animals)
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
hoarseadjectiveUS /hɔːrs/
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
not any; not one
From this reading But there was no time for speculation.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE ROAD The wrong boy!
plural of “order” — (often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
prolongedadjectiveUS /prəˈlɔːŋd/
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading ON THE ROAD The wrong boy!
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
shakenadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪkən/
disturbed psychologically as if by a physical jolt or shock
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
significantadjectiveUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/
important in effect or meaning
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
solidadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləd/
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
speculationnounUS /ˌspekjəˈleɪʃən/
a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence
From this reading But there was no time for speculation.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
confined on all sides
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE ROAD The wrong boy!
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there was no time for speculation.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But there was no time for speculation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
vainlyadverbUS /ˈveɪnli/
to no avail
From this reading The solid earth had fallen from under me, and I struggled vainly to get footing in my new position.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
at the time that
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
wolf-voice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Half in a daze I heard a roar of curses, orders, a crash of glass as the lamp was extinguished, and over all came the prolonged growl of a wolf-voice, hoarse and shaken with anger.
the words that are spoken
From this reading For a moment I could not understand nor believe; and when the meaning of the words came to me, I groped in mental darkness, unable to come in touch with the significant facts by which I was surrounded.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading ON THE ROAD The wrong boy!
