used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
(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 All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
brooknounUS /brʊk/
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
a young person of either sex
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
dipverbUS /dɪp/
immerse briefly into a liquid so as to wet, coat, or saturate
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
disjointedadjectiveUS /dɪsˈdʒɔɪntɪd/
lacking orderly continuity
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading What he did tell was enough for her to understand.
everydayadjectiveUS /ˈevriˈdeɪ/
found in the ordinary course of events
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading What he did tell was enough for her to understand.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
haltingadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːltɪŋ/
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
intercoursenounUS /ˈɪntərkɔːrs/
communication between individuals
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “We lived in the same town together,” he said.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
and nothing more
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
phrasesnounUS /ˈfreɪzəz/
plural of “phrase” — an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “We lived in the same town together,” he said.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “We lived in the same town together,” he said.
skippingverbUS /ˈskɪpɪŋ/
inflected form of “skip” — bypass
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
stepping-stones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
express in words
From this reading What he did tell was enough for her to understand.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What he did tell was enough for her to understand.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading “We lived in the same town together,” he said.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading He told her there in halting phrases about his marriage.
having come into contact
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading “We lived in the same town together,” he said.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading What he did tell was enough for her to understand.
an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We lived in the same town together,” he said.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What he did tell was enough for her to understand.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
in the company of; together with
From this reading All the difficult everyday intercourse with his wife that had followed their union was a dark flood he did not dip into.
the words that are spoken
From this reading His disjointed words only touched upon the high places, like a child skipping across a brook on the stepping-stones.
