used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
AbbeynounUS /ˈæbi/
a church associated with a monastery or convent
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
ALTARnounUS /ˈɔːltər/
the table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading ON THE ALTAR STEPS.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
be present at (meetings, church services, university), etc.
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
bellsnounUS /belz/
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
next to; at the side of
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
boughsnounUS /baʊz/
plural of “bough” — any of the larger branches of a tree
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
rid of obstructions
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
crystalsnounUS /ˈkrɪstəlz/
plural of “crystal” — a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
Engelberg
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
fognounUS /fɑːɡ/
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
forestsnounUS /ˈfɔːrəsts/
plural of “forest” — the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
matinsnoun
the first canonical hour; at daybreak
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE ALTAR STEPS.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
pine-trees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
Roland
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
slopesnounUS /sloʊps/
plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
snow-line
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading ON THE ALTAR STEPS.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
taperingadjectiveUS /ˈteɪpərɪŋ/
becoming gradually narrower
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE ALTAR STEPS.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The snow-line had come lower down upon the slopes, and the beautiful crystals of frost hung on the tapering boughs of the pine-trees in the forests about Engelberg.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was as the bells of the Abbey rang for matins that the stranger died.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
whitenessnounUS /ˈwaɪtnəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)
From this reading It was the third day that the mountains had been clear from fog and cloud, and they stood out against the sky in perfect whiteness.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading For a few minutes Roland remained beside him, and then he called in the women to attend to the dead, and went out into the fresh morning air.
