used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
(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 Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
any thing at all
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
cliff-top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
FlappingnounUS /ˈflæpɪŋ/
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
to a considerable degree
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
held up in the air
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
the officer below the master on a commercial ship
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
myriads
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
not any; not one
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
presciencenounUS /ˈpriːʃiəns/
the power to foresee the future
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
saddle-backs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
cut with a saw
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
screamingadjectiveUS /ˈskriːmɪŋ/
so extremely intense as to evoke screams
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
skuanoun
gull-like jaeger of northern seas
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
skuas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
stomachnounUS /ˈstʌmək/
an enlarged and muscular saclike organ of the alimentary canal; the principal organ of digestion
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
summonedverbUS /ˈsʌmənd/
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
in a swift manner
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
territorynounUS /ˈterɪtɔːri/
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They had no stomach to face that demand; they had no heart for a fight on anything approaching fair terms.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading Flapping heavily into the air, they flew off in haste to lose themselves in the myriads of their screaming fellows.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Suddenly, as if at a signal, all three saddle-backs lifted their heads and stared about them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading They saw two other skuas sailing down from the cliff-top, as if to demand their business in skua territory.
directed up
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
victim'snounUS /ˈvɪktəmz/
possessive form of “victim” — an unfortunate person who suffers from some adverse circumstance
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
wingingverbUS /ˈwɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “wing” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading They marked their victim’s mate winging upward toward them from the sea, swiftly, as if a prescience of evil had summoned her.
