used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
at or in the front
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading "It is the camp of my people."
creeknounUS /kriːk/
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
placed crosswise
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
darklingadjective
uncannily or threateningly dark or obscure
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
fire-blot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
firesnounUS /ˈfaɪərz/
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
forded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
characteristic of or befitting a friend
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
haltingadjectiveUS /ˈhɔːltɪŋ/
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
hubnounUS /hʌb/
the central part of a car wheel (or fan or propeller etc) through which the shaft or axle passes
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is the camp of my people."
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is the camp of my people."
Keela
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
Keela's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
log-wheel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
miragenounUS /mərˈɑːʒ/
an optical illusion in which atmospheric refraction by a layer of hot air distorts or inverts reflections of distant objects
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It is the camp of my people."
OAKSnounUS /oʊks/
plural of “oak” — the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It is the camp of my people."
palmettonounUS /pælˈmetoʊ/
any of several low-growing palms with fan-shaped leaves
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "It is the camp of my people."
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
in the near future
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
primitiveadjectiveUS /ˈprɪmətɪv/
belonging to an early stage of technical development; characterized by simplicity and (often) crudeness
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
shylyadverbUS /ˈʃaɪli/
in a shy or timid or bashful manner
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
swampverbUS /swɑːmp/
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
from that place or that time
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
travelersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/
plural of “traveler” — a person who changes location
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
UNDERprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading UNDER THE LIVE OAKS "See!" said Keela shyly.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
wagonnounUS /ˈwæɡən/
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading Keela's wagon presently forded a shallow creek and crossed an island plain.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
in or at the place that
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
wigwams
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It lay ahead, a fire-blot in the darkling swamp, a primitive mirage of primitive folk, of palmetto wigwams and log-wheel fires among the live oaks of a lonely island.
windingadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Thence it came by a winding road to the village, where, with the halting of the wagon, the travelers became the hub of a vast and friendly wheel of excitement.
