used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
(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 Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
react verbally
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
barkingverbUS /ˈbɑːrkɪŋ/
-ing form of “bark” — speak in an unfriendly tone
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY FIRE.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
clusterverbUS /ˈklʌstər/
come together as in a cluster or flock
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
dwellingnounUS /ˈdwelɪŋ/
housing that someone is living in
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
start firing a weapon
From this reading BY FIRE.
forgetfuladjectiveUS /fɔːrˈɡetfəl/
(of memory) deficient in retentiveness or range
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
habitations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
only a very short time before
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
hissverbUS /hɪs/
make a sharp hissing sound, as if to show disapproval
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
of an obscure nature
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
participate in games or sport
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
except for; apart from
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
sundownnounUS /ˈsʌndaʊn/
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was, however, a mysterious hiss in the air about every dwelling and cluster of habitations.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
Vézère
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A STRANGE stillness came over the Vézère valley that evening at sundown.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Hardly a man was about, not a sound was heard save the barking of a dog in a farm on one side of the river, and the answer of another dog in one on the further side.
which person or people
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Now and then a woman was seen, but it was to call in her children who had run out, and, forgetful of all that had passed, had begun to play.
