used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CHECK AND COUNTER-CHECK Dad wheeled.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
completely unclothed
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
cavalrynounUS /ˈkævəlri/
troops trained to fight on horseback
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
examine so as to determine accuracy, quality, or condition
From this reading CHECK AND COUNTER-CHECK Dad wheeled.
ConfederatenounUS /kənˈfedərət/
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
COUNTER-CHECK
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CHECK AND COUNTER-CHECK Dad wheeled.
DadnounUS /dæd/
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading CHECK AND COUNTER-CHECK Dad wheeled.
without deviation
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
dismounted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
frayedadjectiveUS /freɪd/
worn away or tattered along the edges
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
hillock's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
and nothing more
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
NorthernersnounUS /ˈnɔːrðərnərz/
plural of “northerner” — an inhabitant of the North
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
a course of conduct
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
riddenverbUS /ˈrɪdən/
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
screennounUS /skriːn/
a white or silvered surface where pictures can be projected for viewing
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
in or at or to some place
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
stainedadjectiveUS /steɪnd/
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
thicket-grown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And along this thicket-grown path, from somewhere in the rear of the Confederate army, the captain had evidently ridden.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
undergrowthnounUS /ˈʌndərɡroʊθ/
the brush (small trees and bushes and ferns etc.) growing beneath taller trees in a wood or forest
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading At the hillock’s foot, just in front of him, a bare ten feet away, stood a man in the frayed and stained gray uniform of a captain of Confederate cavalry.
wheeledadjectiveUS /wiːld/
having wheels; often used in combination
From this reading CHECK AND COUNTER-CHECK Dad wheeled.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading At sight of the two Northerners he must have dismounted; for his horse stood directly behind him within the high screen of bushes.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading A path, running down the hill, wound through thick undergrowth beyond.
