used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
altitudenounUS /ˈæltətuːd/
elevation especially above sea level or above the earth's surface
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
bathedverbUS /beɪðd/
past form of “bathe” — cleanse the entire body
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The day had been one of oppressive heat.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
blossomsnounUS /ˈblɑːsəmz/
plural of “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
make calm or still
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
ceaselesslyadverbUS /ˈsiːzləsli/
with unflagging resolve
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
changingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
crowdsnounUS /kraʊdz/
plural of “crowd” — a large number of things or people considered together
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The day had been one of oppressive heat.
dewnounUS /duː/
water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
fro
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
a state of high honor
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading The day had been one of oppressive heat.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
leadsnounUS /liːdz/
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
in motion
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
not any; not one
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
oppressiveadjectiveUS /əˈpresɪv/
weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
From this reading The day had been one of oppressive heat.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
parapetnounUS /ˈperəpet/
a low wall along the edge of a roof or balcony
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
pigeonsnounUS /ˈpɪdʒənz/
plural of “pigeon” — wild and domesticated birds having a heavy body and short legs
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
roostverbUS /ruːst/
sit, as on a branch
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
skiesnounUS /skaɪz/
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading One night she stood on the height of the leads of the tower.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The pigeons had gone to roost; the bells had swung themselves into stillness; far below the changing crowds were moving ceaselessly, but to that calm altitude no sound arose from them.
a Caucasian
From this reading The stars were out, and a great silver moon bathed half the skies in its white glory.
wind-sown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the stones of the parapet wind-sown blossoms blew to and fro heavy with dew.
