used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a long time a voice spoke in the semi-darkness.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
exhale hard
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
put or send forth
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
constrictedadjectiveUS /kənˈstrɪktəd/
especially tense; especially in some dialects
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
erectverbUS /ɪˈrekt/
construct, build, or erect
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
fadedadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪdəd/
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
fetidadjectiveUS /ˈfetəd/
offensively malodorous
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
gaspnounUS /ɡæsp/
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
the act of giving
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
plural of “god” — 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 Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
groveled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
immediately past
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
lilynounUS /ˈlɪli/
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
for more time
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
mother'snounUS /ˈmʌðərz/
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
not any; not one
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
Pelorus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
pungentadjectiveUS /ˈpʌndʒənt/
strong and sharp
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
rainedverbUS /reɪnd/
past form of “rain” — precipitate as rain
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
semi-darkness
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After a long time a voice spoke in the semi-darkness.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
sobbingnounUS /ˈsɑːbɪŋ/
convulsive gasp made while weeping
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading After a long time a voice spoke in the semi-darkness.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
not in physical motion
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
the rays of the sun
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
supremeadjectiveUS /səˈpriːm/
final or last in your life or progress
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
swallowedverbUS /ˈswɑːloʊd/
past form of “swallow” — pass through the esophagus as part of eating or drinking
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
moving very fast
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
carry out
From this reading Upon her the gods had rained the supreme blow and she could no longer stand erect and take it smiling.
Tamea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading After a long time a voice spoke in the semi-darkness.
tropicadjectiveUS /ˈtrɑːpɪk/
relating to or situated in or characteristic of the tropics (the region on either side of the equator)
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
twilightnounUS /ˈtwaɪlaɪt/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading After a long time a voice spoke in the semi-darkness.
at the time that
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
wiltedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪltɪd/
(of plants) limp due to heat, loss of water, or disease
From this reading Upon the pungent, fetid earth she groveled in her despair until, utterly spent, she lay like a beautiful wilted lily, an occasional long, constricted gasp alone giving evidence that she still lived—and suffered.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When the last sunlight faded from the earth and the sea and the swift tropic twilight had swallowed the Pelorus, Tamea cast herself upon the earth and beat it with her beautiful hands, sobbing aloud, in the language of her mother’s people, the agony of her broken heart.
