used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
highly skilled
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
lacking funds
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
catchingnounUS /ˈkætʃɪŋ/
(baseball) playing the position of catcher on a baseball team
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
Catesby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
depthnounUS /depθ/
the extent downward or backward or inward
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
hair-breadth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
irregularitiesnounUS /ˌɪreɡjəˈlerətiz/
plural of “irregularity” — behavior that breaches the rule or etiquette or custom or morality
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
RecklessadjectiveUS /ˈrekləs/
marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
RENCOUNTER
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE RENCOUNTER.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
only a very short time before
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
slided
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Reckless almost of the result, he slided down the rock, catching at occasional irregularities as he descended.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
express in words
From this reading Catesby himself could scarcely tell how he accomplished his hair-breadth escape.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RENCOUNTER.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The river was of great depth at this point, and broke the force of his fall.
plural of “yard” — a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading On rising, he struck out a few yards, and suffered himself to be carried down the stream.
