used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an anxious moment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
a former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
eagerly desirous
From this reading It was an anxious moment.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
batterynounUS /ˈbætəri/
group of guns or missile launchers operated together at one place
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
a structure that allows people or vehicles to cross an obstacle such as a river or canal or railway etc.
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
cheeringnounUS /ˈtʃɪrɪŋ/
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
Churubusco
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
columnnounUS /ˈkɑːləm/
a line of units following one after another
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
containingverbUS /kənˈteɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “contain” — include or contain; have as a component
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
provide with a covering or cause to be covered
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
dikenounUS /daɪk/
(slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
earthworks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
an opposing military force
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
infantrynounUS /ˈɪnfəntri/
an army unit consisting of soldiers who fight on foot
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
lancersnounUS /ˈlænsərz/
a quadrille for 8 or 16 couples
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
the force of workers available
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
a particular point in time
From this reading It was an anxious moment.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
numberedverbUS /ˈnʌmbərd/
past form of “number” — add up in number or quantity
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
occupyingverbUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “occupy” — keep busy with
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
SantanounUS /ˈsæntə/
the legendary patron saint of children; an imaginary being who is thought to bring presents to children at Christmas
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
staffnounUS /stæf/
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
stationedverbUS /ˈsteɪʃənd/
past form of “station” — assign to a station
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
surveyedverbUS /sərˈveɪd/
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
swelledadjectiveUS /sweld/
feeling self-importance
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
in or at that place or location
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
plural of “thousand” — the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The end of the bridge in front of the earthworks, at the middle of the dike, had been built up into a regular stone fort, containing a battery under cover.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was an anxious moment.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading The enemy certainly numbered twenty thousand, well stationed.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
WhileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading While farther on, occupying the road after it had left the village and the bridge, there were thousands more infantry and lancers, swelled by the Santa Anna force.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading The column had halted, the men ceased cheering, and General Worth and staff surveyed Churubusco through their glasses.
