used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
anew
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading Was it the wind shrieking, or something in his own troubled brain?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
driftverbUS /drɪft/
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
flakesnounUS /fleɪks/
plural of “flake” — a crystal of snow
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
leaflessadjectiveUS /ˈliːfləs/
having no leaves
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
moaningverbUS /ˈmoʊnɪŋ/
-ing form of “moan” — indicate pain, discomfort, or displeasure
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Was it the wind shrieking, or something in his own troubled brain?
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Was it the wind shrieking, or something in his own troubled brain?
patchesnounUS /ˈpætʃəz/
plural of “patch” — a small contrasting part of something
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
plungingverbUS /ˈplʌndʒɪŋ/
-ing form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
a person who is being chased
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
shriekingnounUS /ˈʃriːkɪŋ/
sharp piercing cry
From this reading Was it the wind shrieking, or something in his own troubled brain?
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
snow-cladadjective
covered with snow
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Was it the wind shrieking, or something in his own troubled brain?
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
not in physical motion
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
stumbledverbUS /ˈstʌmbəld/
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need
From this reading Was it the wind shrieking, or something in his own troubled brain?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading |By this time darkness had fallen, though it was still early in the afternoon.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
whitenessnounUS /ˈwaɪtnəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
wildlyadverbUS /ˈwaɪldli/
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading He looked wildly around him, plunging this, way and that, like a blind man.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading There was a high wind, moaning around among the leafless trees; and, from time to time, flakes of snow were falling--large, and far apart.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As he descended the snow-clad steps, he stumbled and fell among the drift, but rose again immediately, covered with patches of whiteness, and pursued his way.
