used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
adroitlyadverbUS /əˈdrɔɪtli/
with adroitness; in an adroit manner
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
aimverbUS /eɪm/
point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
AlexandernounUS /ˌæləɡˈzændər/
European herb somewhat resembling celery widely naturalized in Britain coastal regions and often cultivated as a potherb
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
ALFREDnounUS /ˈælfrəd/
king of Wessex; defeated the Vikings and encouraged writing in English (849-899)
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
bitingadjectiveUS /ˈbaɪtɪŋ/
capable of wounding
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
of a stringed instrument; sounded by stroking with a bow
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
go after with the intent to catch
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
curlingnounUS /ˈkɜːrlɪŋ/
a game played on ice in which heavy stones with handles are slid toward a target
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
curvesnounUS /kɜːrvz/
plural of “curve” — the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
devourverbUS /dɪˈvaʊər/
destroy completely
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
devouredverbUS /dɪˈvaʊərd/
past form of “devour” — destroy completely
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
escapesnounUS /ɪˈskeɪps/
plural of “escape” — the act of escaping physically
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
foilverbUS /fɔɪl/
enhance by contrast
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
the act of departing
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
hissverbUS /hɪs/
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
IncnounUS /ɪŋk/
a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
a unit of electrical energy equal to the work done when a current of one ampere passes through a resistance of one ohm for one second
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
KNOPF
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
life'snounUS /laɪfs/
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
MuirnounUS /mjʊr/
United States naturalist (born in England) who advocated the creation of national parks (1838-1914)
From this reading by J. Muir and J. Alexander By ALFRED A. KNOPF, Inc.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
oneself
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
rushesnounUS /ˈrʌʃəz/
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
sheavesnounUS /ʃiːvz/
plural of “sheaf” — a package of several things tied together for carrying or storing
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
snappingverbUS /ˈsnæpɪŋ/
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
snapsnounUS /snæps/
plural of “snap” — the act of catching an object with the hands
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To devour others and to avoid being devoured oneself, that is life’s end and aim.
tormentorsnounUS /ˈtɔːrmentərz/
plural of “tormentor” — someone who torments
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
plural of “turn” — a circular segment of a curve
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
upwardsadverbUS /ˈʌpwərdz/
spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
in or at the place that
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading A wild chase was going on in the depths, and where it passed the rushes bowed their sheaves.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With a hiss it curves its neck and turns the foil upwards, snapping and biting at its tormentors.
wormnounUS /wɜːrm/
any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied animals especially of the phyla Annelida and Chaetognatha and Nematoda and Nemertea and Platyhelminthes; also many insect larvae
From this reading She snaps eagerly at the nearest “worm,” but it escapes her by adroitly curling up.
