used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The day of the warhead arrived.
Arzachel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
bluesnounUS /bluːz/
a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
brittleadjectiveUS /ˈbrɪtəl/
having little elasticity; hence easily cracked or fractured or snapped
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
CraternounUS /ˈkreɪtər/
a bowl-shaped geological formation at the top of a volcano
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
crescentnounUS /ˈkresənt/
any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
travel across or pass over
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
the first light of day
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The day of the warhead arrived.
distancesnounUS /ˈdɪstənsəz/
plural of “distance” — the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
gleamedverbUS /ɡliːmd/
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
grippedverbUS /ɡrɪpt/
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
incalculableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkælkjələbəl/
not able to be computed or enumerated
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
intolerableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtɑːlərəbəl/
incapable of being tolerated or endured
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
for more time
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
lunaradjectiveUS /ˈluːnər/
of or relating to or associated with the moon
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
MeasuredadjectiveUS /ˈmeʒərd/
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
not any; not one
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The day of the warhead arrived.
paledverbUS /peɪld/
past form of “pale” — turn pale, as if in fear
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
purple-blackadjective
of black tinged with purple
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
redsnounUS /redz/
plural of “red” — red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
relativenounUS /ˈrelətɪv/
a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
rocketnounUS /ˈrɑːkət/
any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
scalenounUS /skeɪl/
an ordered reference standard
From this reading Measured against the incalculable scale of space distances the rocket had but a relative inch to cross.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
not in physical motion
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
sunsnounUS /sʌnz/
plural of “sun” — the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The day of the warhead arrived.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
unimaginableadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪˈmædʒɪnəbəl/
totally unlikely
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
universenounUS /ˈjuːnəvɜːrs/
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
warheadnounUS /ˈwɔːrhed/
the front part of a guided missile or rocket or torpedo that carries the nuclear or explosive charge or the chemical or biological agents
From this reading The day of the warhead arrived.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
belonging to which person
From this reading The earth was a thin crescent in the sky whose light no longer paled the stars.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
yellowsnounUS /ˈjeloʊz/
plural of “yellow” — yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons
From this reading They gleamed, hard and brittle against the purple-black of space, the reds and yellows and brilliant hot blues of suns lying at unimaginable distances in the vast box of the universe.
zodiacaladjective
relating to or included in the zodiac
From this reading Night still gripped Crater Arzachel with its intolerable cold, but a zodiacal light in the sky whispered of a lunar dawn to come.
