used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
bearableadjectiveUS /ˈberəbəl/
capable of being borne though unpleasant
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
broodverbUS /bruːd/
think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
collectedadjectiveUS /kəˈlektəd/
brought together in one place
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
despatched
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
without deviation
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
divisible by two
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
having experience; having knowledge or skill from observation or participation
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
set up or found
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
nocturnaladjectiveUS /nɑːkˈtɜːrnəl/
belonging to or active during the night
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
rattle-tailed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
rattlesnakesnounUS /ˈrætəlsneɪks/
plural of “rattlesnake” — pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
only a very short time before
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
sensationsnounUS /senˈseɪʃənz/
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
slow-movingadjective
moving slowly
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
slumbers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
smalleradjectiveUS /ˈsmɔːlər/
small or little relative to something else
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
snakesnounUS /sneɪks/
plural of “snake” — limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
in the near future
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
strokesnounUS /stroʊks/
plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
confined on all sides
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
in the direction of
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
twistingnounUS /ˈtwɪstɪŋ/
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
unpleasantadjectiveUS /ənˈplezənt/
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As they are slow-moving creatures, I was able to kill every one of them before they could escape.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
at the time that
From this reading To be surrounded, even in daylight, by such creatures would have been especially unpleasant, but in the dusk, when I could scarcely see them, the sensations I experienced were scarcely bearable.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The strokes I gave the ground soon roused up several other rattlesnakes, and I found that a whole brood were collected under the stone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They would have been somewhat unpleasant companions to me during my nocturnal slumbers.
wriggled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Scarcely had I despatched my rattle-tailed enemies than, turning over with my foot some smaller stones near the big one, out wriggled a number of other snakes, black, brown, and yellow, twisting and turning amid the grass, many making directly towards me.
