used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
bravelyadverbUS /ˈbreɪvli/
in a courageous manner
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
CarvernounUS /ˈkɑːrvər/
United States botanist and agricultural chemist who developed many uses for peanuts and soy beans and sweet potatoes (1864-1943)
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
clumpnounUS /klʌmp/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
defendingadjectiveUS /dɪˈfendɪŋ/
attempting to or designed to prevent an opponent from winning or scoring
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
dilatedverbUS /ˌdaɪˈleɪtɪd/
past form of “dilate” — become wider
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
constituting the full quantity or extent; complete
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
gamblernounUS /ˈɡæmblər/
a person who wagers money on the outcome of games or sporting events
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
Inza
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
hear with intention
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
mesquitenounUS /ˈmeskiːt/
any of several small spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Prosopis having small flowers in axillary cylindrical spikes followed by large pods rich in sugar
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
nostrilsnounUS /ˈnɑːstrəlz/
plural of “nostril” — either one of the two external openings to the nasal cavity in the nose
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
poseverbUS /poʊz/
introduce
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
revealverbUS /rɪˈviːl/
make visible
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
softeradjectiveUS /ˈsɑːftər/
comparative of “soft” — yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
that is looked for
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
move an implement through
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
Swiftwing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
Swiftwing's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Behind a clump of mesquite stood John Swiftwing, and he had heard the entire conversation.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had not sought to listen, and he did not think it his duty to reveal himself.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He folded his arms upon his breast and stood there in a proud pose, his nostrils dilated.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
at the time that
From this reading He was there when Frank and Inza met Carver, and he did not stir.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Swiftwing’s eyes flashed fire and his brow grew dark as he listened to the words of the gambler, but a softer light came to his face when he heard Inza defending him so bravely.
