used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading The masses of shadow were densely black.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
burntadjectiveUS /bɜːrnt/
ruined by overcooking
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
chieflyadverbUS /ˈtʃiːfli/
for the most part
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
compassed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
darkestadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkəst/
superlative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
denselyadverbUS /ˈdensli/
in a stupid manner
From this reading The masses of shadow were densely black.
dismaladjectiveUS /ˈdɪzməl/
causing dejection
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
duskier
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
elsewhereadverbUS /ˈelswer/
in or to another place
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
exclusionnounUS /ɪkˈskluːʒən/
the state of being excluded
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
expositionsnounUS /ˌekspəˈzɪʃənz/
plural of “exposition” — a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
firelightnoun
the light of a fire (especially in a fireplace)
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
flarenounUS /fler/
a shape that spreads outward
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
furnacenounUS /ˈfɜːrnəs/
an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
gradationsnounUS /ɡreɪˈdeɪʃənz/
plural of “gradation” — relative position in a graded series
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
only a very short time before
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
IIInoun
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
massesnounUS /ˈmæsəz/
the common people generally
From this reading The masses of shadow were densely black.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
mergedadjectiveUS /mɜːrdʒd/
formed or united into a whole
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
possibilitiesnounUS /ˌpɑːsəˈbɪlətiz/
plural of “possibility” — a future prospect or potential
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
reluctantlyadverbUS /rɪˈlʌktəntli/
with reluctance
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
renderverbUS /ˈrendər/
cause to become
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading The masses of shadow were densely black.
siennanounUS /siˈenə/
an earth color containing ferric oxides; used as a pigment
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
smote
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/
closely encircling
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
umbernoun
an earth pigment
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
undergroundadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/
under the level of the ground
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
uniqueadjectiveUS /juːˈniːk/
radically distinctive and without equal
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The masses of shadow were densely black.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where the firelight smote them they merged reluctantly into expositions of the darkest possibilities of umber and burnt sienna and dismal gradations of duskier brown.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The gloom of the place had a unique underground quality which could hardly be compassed elsewhere by the mere exclusion of daylight.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading The yellow flare from the open door of the furnace seemed chiefly to serve to render visible the surrounding darkness.
