used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
attainedadjectiveUS /əˈteɪnd/
achieved or reached
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
blazenounUS /bleɪz/
a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
the act of burning something
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
crimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
divisible by two
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
start firing a weapon
From this reading THE FOREST ON FIRE.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading THE FOREST ON FIRE.
fringing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
-ing form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
glarenounUS /ɡler/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
a quick look
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
gustnounUS /ɡʌst/
a strong current of air
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
to a considerable degree
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
masterynounUS /ˈmæstəri/
great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE FOREST ON FIRE.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
paddleverbUS /ˈpædəl/
propel with a paddle
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
pinesnounUS /paɪnz/
plural of “pine” — a coniferous tree
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
resinousadjective
having the characteristics of pitch or tar
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
stiflingnounUS /ˈstaɪflɪŋ/
forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
not in physical motion
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
possessing sweep
From this reading Dark resinous smoke hung heavily in the air: a hot stifling gust of it swept down on the canoe.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FOREST ON FIRE.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They could hear the dull roar of the blaze distinctly, and even caught a glimpse of its crimson glare through an opening in the tall pines fringing the lake.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It must have been burning a couple of hours to have attained such mastery.
in the direction of
From this reading Robert drew his paddle into the canoe, and sat perfectly still for some moments, gazing towards the fire and taking in its circumstances.
