used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
chimneysnounUS /ˈtʃɪmniz/
plural of “chimney” — a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
coalnounUS /koʊl/
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
Deux-Cent-Quarante
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
remove the dust from
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
start firing a weapon
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
inkyadjectiveUS /ˈɪŋki/
of the color of black ink
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
layernounUS /ˈleɪər/
single thickness of usually some homogeneous substance
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
meltverbUS /melt/
reduce or cause to be reduced from a solid to a liquid state, usually by heating
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
not any; not one
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
powderedadjectiveUS /ˈpaʊdərd/
consisting of fine particles
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
quarrynounUS /ˈkwɔːri/
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
roadsnounUS /roʊdz/
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
settlementnounUS /ˈsetəlmənt/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
shroudverbUS /ʃraʊd/
cover as if with a shroud
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
slabsnounUS /slæbz/
plural of “slab” — block consisting of a thick piece of something
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The Deux-Cent-Quarante settlement lay beneath the snow as though it had disappeared.
tilesnounUS /taɪlz/
plural of “tile” — a flat thin rectangular slab (as of fired clay or rubber or linoleum) used to cover surfaces
From this reading No smoke came out of the chimneys; the houses, without fire and as cold as the stones in the street, did not melt the thick layer on the tiles.
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 This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Snow had been falling for two days; since the morning it had ceased, and an intense frost had frozen the immense sheet.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
a vivid mental image
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
a Caucasian
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
whitenessnounUS /ˈwaɪtnəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of greatest lightness (bearing the least resemblance to black)
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading This black country, with its inky roads and walls and trees powdered with coal dust, was now white, a single whiteness stretching out without end.
an injury to living tissue (especially an injury involving a cut or break in the skin)
From this reading It was nothing more than a quarry of white slabs in the white plain, a vision of a dead village wound in its shroud.
