used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
anew
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
AlpsnounUS /ælps/
a large mountain system in south-central Europe; scenic beauty and winter sports make them a popular tourist attraction
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading August, on the Baltic.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
BalticnounUS /ˈbɔːltɪk/
a sea in northern Europe; stronghold of the Russian navy
From this reading August, on the Baltic.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
billowsnounUS /ˈbɪloʊz/
plural of “billow” — a large sea wave
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
chainsnounUS /tʃeɪnz/
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
changingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃeɪndʒɪŋ/
marked by continuous change or effective action
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
cliffsnounUS /klɪfs/
plural of “cliff” — a steep high face of rock
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
crestsnounUS /krests/
plural of “crest” — the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
crumblingverbUS /ˈkrʌmbəlɪŋ/
-ing form of “crumble” — fall apart
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
cupolanounUS /kəˈpoʊlə/
a vertical cylindrical furnace for melting iron for casting
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
curlverbUS /kɜːrl/
form a curl, curve, or kink
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
driftverbUS /drɪft/
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
fillingnounUS /ˈfɪlɪŋ/
any material that fills a space or container
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
firmamentnoun
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
foamnounUS /foʊm/
a mass of small bubbles formed in or on a liquid
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
grey-whiteadjective
of white tinged with grey
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
loomverbUS /luːm/
come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
massesnounUS /ˈmæsəz/
the common people generally
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
mountain-ranges
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading August, on the Baltic.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
pine-woods
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
roundedadjectiveUS /ˈraʊndəd/
curving and somewhat round in shape rather than jagged
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
sombreadjective
lacking brightness or color; dull
From this reading The sea has a narrow beach, with many crumbling cliffs; quite close at hand loom sombre green pine-woods.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading August, on the Baltic.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading They come up slowly, filling the firmament with their changing, shadowy masses, like chains of rocks and Alps floating on the air, and slowly drift away again.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The sky above is one wide cupola, through which drift great mountain-ranges of grey-white clouds.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The grey billows curl against the rocks with high, rounded crests of thick foam.
