used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading INVADING A CAPTAIN'S CABIN.
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
boomverbUS /buːm/
make a resonant sound, like artillery
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading INVADING A CAPTAIN'S CABIN.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
CAPTAIN'SnounUS /ˈkæptənz/
possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading INVADING A CAPTAIN'S CABIN.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
Chilkat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
citizensnounUS /ˈsɪtəzənz/
plural of “citizen” — a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
consternationnounUS /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən/
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
defiedverbUS /dɪˈfaɪd/
inflected form of “defy” — resist or confront with resistance
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
earthquakenounUS /ˈɜːrθkweɪk/
shaking and vibration at the surface of the earth resulting from underground movement along a fault plane or from volcanic activity
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
echoingadjectiveUS /ˈekoʊɪŋ/
(of sounds) repeating by reflection
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
gunboatnounUS /ˈɡʌnboʊt/
a small shallow-draft boat carrying mounted guns; used by costal patrols
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
only a very short time before
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
INVADINGadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈveɪdɪŋ/
involving invasion or aggressive attack
From this reading INVADING A CAPTAIN'S CABIN.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
past form of “kill” — cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
Klukwan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
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 Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
not any; not one
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
palisaded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
retaliationnounUS /riˌtæliˈeɪʃən/
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
sectionnounUS /ˈsekʃən/
a self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical)
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
shelledadjectiveUS /ʃeld/
of animals or fruits that have a shell
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
a source of difficulty
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading An earthquake could hardly have caused greater consternation in the village of Klukwan than did the boom of that heavy gun as it came echoing up the palisaded valley of the Chilkat.
villagesnounUS /ˈvɪlədʒəz/
plural of “village” — a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading A gunboat, hurried to the scene of trouble, shelled and destroyed one of their villages in retaliation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading From that time on no sound was so terrible to them as the roar of a big gun.
a late time of life
From this reading Not many years before the Indians of that section had defied the power of the United States, and killed several American citizens.
