used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
plural of “age” — how long something has existed
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
(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 The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
plural of “animal” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
bladenounUS /bleɪd/
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
CalifornianounUS /ˌkæləˈfɔːrnjə/
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
cursedadjectiveUS /kɜːrst/
deserving a curse; sometimes used as an intensifier
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
divisible by two
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Every one now except Lillian went on foot.
apart from; not including
From this reading Every one now except Lillian went on foot.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Every one now except Lillian went on foot.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
shoot down, of birds
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
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 We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
Lillian
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
the force of workers available
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
mulesnounUS /mjuːlz/
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
nippedverbUS /nɪpt/
inflected form of “nip” — squeeze tightly between the fingers
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
and nothing more
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
refreshedadjectiveUS /riˈfreʃt/
with restored energy
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
restoreverbUS /rɪˈstɔːr/
return to its original or usable and functioning condition
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
in or at that place or location
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
thirty-sixadjective
being six more than thirty
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
toolsnounUS /tuːlz/
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
wagonsnounUS /ˈwæɡənz/
plural of “wagon” — any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The mules had not nipped a grass blade for thirty-six hours, and had lived only on straw which we took out of the wagons; but even that failed them now.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The wagons and the tools in them, which were to give us bread in California, remained in that desert,—be it cursed for all ages!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The water in the lake at which I had been the day before refreshed men and animals for a time, but could not restore their strength.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We marked the road as we went with their bodies, and on the third day there was left one only, which I took by force for Lillian.
