used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
bowlders
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
bruisedverbUS /bruːzd/
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
clumpsnounUS /klʌmps/
plural of “clump” — a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
colicnoun
acute abdominal pain (especially in infants)
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
concludeverbUS /kənˈkluːd/
decide by reasoning; draw or come to a conclusion
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
an acknowledgment or expression of goodwill at parting
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
fortunatelyadverbUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənətli/
by good fortune
From this reading He seemed to have fortunately landed on his head.
fracturedverbUS /ˈfræktʃərd/
past form of “fracture” — violate or abuse
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He seemed to have fortunately landed on his head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He seemed to have fortunately landed on his head.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
the act of retaining something
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
interpositionnoun
the action of interjecting or interposing an action or remark that interrupts
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
jawverbUS /dʒɔː/
talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
owning or consisting of land or real estate
From this reading He seemed to have fortunately landed on his head.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
plural of “limb” — one of the jointed appendages of an animal used for locomotion or grasping: arm; leg; wing; flipper
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
loosenedadjectiveUS /ˈluːsənd/
straightened out
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
marvellousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːrvələs/
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
not any; not one
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
not one, and not any
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He seemed to have fortunately landed on his head.
on one occasion
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
PerforceadverbUS /pərˈfɔːrs/
by necessity; by force of circumstance
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
rockingverbUS /ˈrɑːkɪŋ/
-ing form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
express in words
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed to have fortunately landed on his head.
a person who is owned by someone
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I Perforce Say Farewell to My Old Home.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
vinesnounUS /vaɪnz/
plural of “vine” — a plant with a weak stem that derives support from climbing, twining, or creeping along a surface
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His jaw was broken, and some of his teeth loosened, but none of his limbs were fractured, though all were bruised.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading He could give me no account whatever of the marvellous escape he had had from instant death, and I was forced to conclude that his fall had been more than once broken by the interposition of branches or clumps of vines.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The slave sat upon one of the bowlders in the old Indian circle, holding his jaw with his hand, and rocking himself like a child with the colic.
