used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
(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 He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
benchesnounUS /ˈbentʃɪz/
plural of “bench” — a long seat for more than one person
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
child-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
coweringverbUS /ˈkaʊərɪŋ/
-ing form of “cower” — crouch or curl up
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
DamnounUS /dæm/
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
defilementnoun
the state of being polluted
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
opinion or judgment
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
flownverbUS /floʊn/
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
fragileadjectiveUS /ˈfrædʒəl/
easily broken or damaged or destroyed
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
gauzyadjective
so thin as to transmit light
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
Hesitatinglyadverb
with hesitation; in a hesitant manner
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
hymnnounUS /hɪm/
a song of praise (to God or to a saint or to a nation)
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
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 He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
parchedadjectiveUS /pɑːrtʃt/
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
quiveringnounUS /ˈkwɪvərɪŋ/
a shaky motion
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
plural of “sister” — a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
throatsnounUS /θroʊts/
plural of “throat” — the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
tremulousadjectiveUS /ˈtremjələs/
(of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading And under the roof they met with their hundreds of sisters, and their defilement fell from them.
unfurledverbUS /ənˈfɜːrld/
past form of “unfurl” — unroll, unfold, or spread out or be unrolled, unfolded, or spread out from a furled state
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He led the singing, and as he stood there he bent his knees in time, and they all sang with him, with tremulous voices, each in his own key, of that which had passed over them.
a means of flight or ascent
From this reading Hesitatingly they unfurled their fragile, gauzy wings, and floated out into the room, up from the quivering lips.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A tall man with a full beard and a pair of good child-like eyes stood up among the benches, beating the time of a hymn—he was Dam, the smith.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading The notes forced their way through the parched, worn throats, cowering, as though afraid, now that they had flown into the light.
