used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
colonynounUS /ˈkɑːləni/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
the prevailing context that influences the performance or the outcome of a process
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
King of England and Ireland in 1936; his marriage to Wallis Warfield Simpson created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication (1894-1972)
From this reading —MARLOWE, in _Edward the Second_.
failsverbUS /feɪlz/
third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
third-person singular of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading —MARLOWE, in _Edward the Second_.
inconsistentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/
displaying a lack of consistency
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
issueverbUS /ˈɪʃuː/
prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
Life'snounUS /laɪfs/
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
MARLOWEnounUS /ˈmɑːrloʊ/
English poet and playwright who introduced blank verse as a form of dramatic expression; was stabbed to death in a tavern brawl (1564-1593)
From this reading —MARLOWE, in _Edward the Second_.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
the force of workers available
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
mile-stone
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
not any; not one
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
pathwaynounUS /ˈpæθweɪ/
a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
pebblenounUS /ˈpebəl/
a small smooth rounded rock
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
precedentnounUS /ˈpresɪdənt/
an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
predictverbUS /prɪˈdɪkt/
make a prediction about; tell in advance
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
rebelsnounUS /ˈrebəlz/
plural of “rebel” — “Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
(military) withdrawal of troops to a more favorable position to escape the enemy's superior forces or after a defeat
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
RoanokenounUS /ˈroʊənoʊk/
a city in southwestern Virginia
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading —MARLOWE, in _Edward the Second_.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
shrinkverbUS /ʃrɪŋk/
wither, as with a loss of moisture
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading —MARLOWE, in _Edward the Second_.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
unaccountablyadverbUS /ˌʌnəˈkaʊntəbli/
in an unaccountable manner
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Perhaps nothing is more unaccountably inconsistent than the action of men under new and strange conditions.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading As there is no precedent to predict the issue, reason falls back upon itself, and fails; the unexpected happens.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We come now to a mile-stone in the road of Time, a mere pebble it may seem to some, but to the colony of Roanoke it marked a sudden turning in Life’s pathway.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What, rebels, do you shrink and sound retreat?”
