used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They continued quickly and silently up the path.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
move towards
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
BarbadosnounUS /bɑːrˈbeɪdoʊs/
a parliamentary democracy on the island of Barbados; former British colony; a popular resort area
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
without stop or interruption
From this reading They continued quickly and silently up the path.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
true confidential information
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
disorganizedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsɔːrɡənaɪzd/
lacking order or methodical arrangement or function
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
move gently or carefully
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
flintlocksnounUS /ˈflɪntlɑːks/
plural of “flintlock” — a muzzle loader that had a flintlock type of gunlock
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
fortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/
a fortified defensive structure
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
handledadjectiveUS /ˈhændəld/
having a usually specified type of handle
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
the force of workers available
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
militianounUS /məˈlɪʃə/
civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
muskets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
nearedverbUS /nɪrd/
past form of “near” — move towards
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
a course of conduct
From this reading They continued quickly and silently up the path.
practicedadjectiveUS /ˈpræktəst/
having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
with speed
From this reading They continued quickly and silently up the path.
rawadjectiveUS /rɑː/
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
readyingnounUS /ˈrediɪŋ/
the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
recruitsnounUS /rəˈkruːts/
plural of “recruit” — a recently enlisted soldier
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
seamennounUS /ˈsiːmən/
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
without speaking
From this reading They continued quickly and silently up the path.
stoneworknoun
masonry done with stone
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Behind them the seamen had begun readying their flintlocks.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now the moon had begun to grow pale with the approach of day, and as they neared the rear of the fortress they could see the details of its stonework.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They continued quickly and silently up the path.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were not raw recruits like Barbados' militia; these were fighting men with long experience.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Though they appeared disorganized, they handled their muskets with practiced ease.
