used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
accomplishverbUS /əˈkɑːmplɪʃ/
put in effect
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
bulletnounUS /ˈbʊlət/
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
coagulateverbUS /koʊˈæɡjəleɪt/
change from a liquid to a thickened or solid state
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
fathomverbUS /ˈfæðəm/
come to understand
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/
having lost your job
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
flannelnounUS /ˈflænəl/
a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
fouladjectiveUS /faʊl/
highly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
a native or inhabitant of Italy
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
the literary culture
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
a dark region of considerable extent on the surface of the moon
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
murderer'snounUS /ˈmɜːrdərərz/
possessive form of “murderer” — a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
northwardadverbUS /ˈnɔːrθwərd/
in a northern direction
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
protectedadjectiveUS /prəˈtektɪd/
kept safe or defended from danger or injury or loss
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
riddenverbUS /ˈrɪdən/
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
precisely, exactly
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
roughlyadverbUS /ˈrʌfli/
(of quantities) imprecise but fairly close to correct
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
shirtnounUS /ʃɜːrt/
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
slashedadjectiveUS /slæʃt/
patterned by having color applied with sweeping strokes
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
spoornounUS /spʊr/
the trail left by a person or an animal; what the hunter follows in pursuing game
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
Strangeways
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The blood, now dark and coagulate, had run a little, but there was not the least difficulty in making out the name.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
thornnounUS /θɔːrn/
something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
thornsnounUS /θɔːrnz/
plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
tracesnounUS /ˈtreɪsəz/
plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
the topmost one of two
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
vulturesnounUS /ˈvʌltʃərz/
plural of “vulture” — any of various large diurnal birds of prey having naked heads and weak claws and feeding chiefly on carrion
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were traces of the Italian and his horse about the spot, and then the murderer's spoor led away northward.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The flannel shirt, in which Strangeways had ridden, had been torn roughly off the upper part of the body, and upon the broad chest had been slashed, with the point of a sharp knife, these letters, MARIA.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The body, for some extraordinary reason, which I was then not able to fathom, had been carefully protected by these thorn branches, and the vultures had not been able to accomplish their foul work upon it.
woundsnounUS /wuːndz/
plural of “wound” — an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading We pulled away the thorns, and examined the poor dead body; it was marked by two bullet wounds, one in the right shoulder, the other, fired at close quarters, through the head.
