used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
chimneysnounUS /ˈtʃɪmniz/
plural of “chimney” — a vertical flue that provides a path through which smoke from a fire is carried away through the wall or roof of a building
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
contoursnounUS /ˈkɑːntʊrz/
plural of “contour” — a line drawn on a map connecting points of equal height
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
drizzlenounUS /ˈdrɪzəl/
very light rain; stronger than mist but less than a shower
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
fognounUS /fɑːɡ/
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
grimyadjectiveUS /ˈɡraɪmi/
thickly covered with ingrained dirt or soot
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
hitchedverbUS /hɪtʃt/
past form of “hitch” — to hook or entangle
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
irregularitiesnounUS /ˌɪreɡjəˈlerətiz/
plural of “irregularity” — behavior that breaches the rule or etiquette or custom or morality
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
knee-deepadjective
coming only to the ankle or knee
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
leadsnounUS /liːdz/
plural of “lead” — an advantage held by a competitor in a race
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
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 In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
moundnounUS /maʊnd/
(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
mufflingverbUS /ˈmʌflɪŋ/
-ing form of “muffle” — suppress in order to conceal or hide
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
overwhelmedverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
parapets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
preservedadjectiveUS /prəˈzɜːrvd/
prevented from decaying or spoiling and prepared for future use
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
raff
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
precisely, exactly
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
scatteringnounUS /ˈskætərɪŋ/
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
soddenadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːdən/
wet through and through; thoroughly wet
From this reading In an instant I was down on my knees, scattering the sodden raff right and left, and—my God!—a face!
a thing, without saying which
From this reading I drove my foot forward into a mound, and hitched it on something.
plural of “street” — a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
thawnounUS /θɔː/
the process whereby heat changes something from a solid to a liquid
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
move fast, noisily, and heavily
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading She lay there as she had been overwhelmed, and frozen, and preserved these two months.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The dull thunder of the streets came up to me; a fog of thaw was in the air; a thin drizzle was already falling.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Snow, grim and grimy and knee-deep, was over everything, muffling the contours of the chimneys, the parapets, the irregularities of the leads.
