used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
acknowledgmentnounUS /ækˈnɑːlɪdʒmənt/
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
(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 May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
alternatingadjectiveUS /ˈɔːltərneɪtɪŋ/
(of a current) reversing direction
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
anxietiesnounUS /æŋˈzaɪətiz/
plural of “anxiety” — (psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
bereavednounUS /bərˈiːvd/
a person who has suffered the death of someone they loved
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
congregationnounUS /ˌkɑːŋɡrəˈɡeɪʃən/
a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
deliververbUS /dɪˈlɪvər/
deliver (a speech, oration, or idea)
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
duskyadjective
lighted by or as if by twilight
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
eighthadjectiveUS /eɪtθ/
coming next after the seventh and just before the ninth in position
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
faminenounUS /ˈfæmən/
an acute insufficiency
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
impendingadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpendɪŋ/
close in time; about to occur
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
the force of workers available
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
used to form the superlative
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
kill intentionally and with premeditation
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
one's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
and nothing more
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
overladenadjective
loaded past capacity
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
pestilencenounUS /ˈpestələns/
a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by Yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
plagueverbUS /pleɪɡ/
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
raimentnoun
especially fine or decorative clothing
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
sobbedverbUS /sɑːbd/
inflected form of “sob” — weep convulsively
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
express in speech
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
Spottsylvania
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
tempestnounUS /ˈtempəst/
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence and famine; from battle and murder, and from sudden death, “_Good Lord, deliver us_.”
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
WildernessnounUS /ˈwɪldərnəs/
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading May the eighth, and the Wilderness vast in the minds of all, and fresh battle impending, now at Spottsylvania!
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Only on one’s bed at night, or here in church, could the overladen heart speak without shame or acknowledgment of weakness.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading It was a congregation of men and women, dusky in raiment, bereaved, torn by anxieties, sick with alternating hope and fear.
the words that are spoken
From this reading By most the words were sobbed out.
