used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
AboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
(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 _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
concentratedadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnsəntreɪtɪd/
gathered together or made less diffuse
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
Cully
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
eightyadjectiveUS /ˈeɪti/
being ten more than seventy
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
else
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And something else.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading Somehow he had to retain a hold on his sanity ... or his soul.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Somehow he had to retain a hold on his sanity ... or his soul.
pulsingnounUS /ˈpʌlsɪŋ/
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
raggedadjectiveUS /ˈræɡəd/
being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
retainverbUS /rɪˈteɪn/
hold back within
From this reading Somehow he had to retain a hold on his sanity ... or his soul.
rhythmicadjectiveUS /ˈrɪðmɪk/
recurring with measured regularity
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
sanitynounUS /ˈsænəti/
normal or sound powers of mind
From this reading Somehow he had to retain a hold on his sanity ... or his soul.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
shroudverbUS /ʃraʊd/
cover as if with a shroud
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
in some unspecified way or manner; or by some unspecified means
From this reading Somehow he had to retain a hold on his sanity ... or his soul.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Somehow he had to retain a hold on his sanity ... or his soul.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
not in physical motion
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Cully concentrated on that sound, and the rhythmic pulsing of his heart.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _By all the laws of nature, he should have been dead.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
torpidadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrpəd/
slow and apathetic
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But if he were alive ... then there was something he had to find._ Above him eighty feet of torpid, black water hung like a shroud of Death, and still he heard his ragged breathing.
