used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
accomplishverbUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃ/
put in effect
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
achingadjectiveUS /ˈeɪkɪŋ/
causing a dull and steady pain
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
surrounded by; in the company of
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
attemptingverbUS /əˈtemptɪŋ/
-ing form of “attempt” — make an effort or attempt
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
fearless and daring
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
defencenounUS /dɪˈfens/
(psychiatry) an unconscious process that tries to reduce the anxiety associated with instinctive desires
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
argue or speak in defense of
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
a social unit living together
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
the act of giving
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
handfulnounUS /ˈhændfʊl/
a small number or amount
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
haplessadjectiveUS /ˈhæpləs/
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
holdingsnounUS /ˈhoʊldɪŋz/
plural of “holding” — the act of retaining something
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
intrenchverb
fix firmly or securely
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
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 It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
nerved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
PennsylvanianounUS /ˌpensəlˈveɪnjə/
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
RangersnounUS /ˈreɪndʒərz/
plural of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
settlernounUS /ˈsetələr/
a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
settlersnounUS /ˈsetlərz/
plural of “settler” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
stemnounUS /stem/
(linguistics) the form of a word after all affixes are removed
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
sturdyadjectiveUS /ˈstɜːrdi/
having rugged physical strength; inured to fatigue or hardships
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading To the west! to the west! to the west!
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To the west! to the west! to the west!
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
watchwordnounUS /ˈwɑːtʃwɜːrd/
a slogan used to rally support for a cause
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading It was little they could hope to accomplish in attempting to stem the tide of war; but their presence brought comfort to many an aching heart, and nerved many a lonely settler to intrench and defend his house and family, instead of giving way to utter despair.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were but a handful of bold spirits.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading To the west! to the west! to the west!
which person or people
From this reading Such was the watchword of the band of sturdy Rangers who set forth from Pennsylvania to the defence of the hapless settlers.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading There was work for the little band to do amongst these scattered holdings.
