used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
AfricanadjectiveUS /ˈæfrəkən/
of or relating to the nations of Africa or their peoples
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
(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 The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
surrounded by; in the company of
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
completely unclothed
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
blossomsnounUS /ˈblɑːsəmz/
plural of “blossom” — reproductive organ of angiosperm plants especially one having showy or colorful parts
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
lacking funds
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
attractiveness that interests or pleases or stimulates
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
clingingverbUS /ˈklɪŋɪŋ/
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
clutchedverbUS /klʌtʃt/
past form of “clutch” — take hold of; grab
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
the Crown (or the reigning monarch) as the symbol of the power and authority of a monarchy
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
delicatelyadverbUS /ˈdeləkətli/
in a delicate manner
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
dimnessnoun
the state of being poorly illuminated
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
dottedadjectiveUS /ˈdɑːtəd/
having a pattern of dots
From this reading It had tiny flowers dotted amongst its leaves.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
flowering-bush
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading It had tiny flowers dotted amongst its leaves.
fragrancenounUS /ˈfreɪɡrəns/
a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had tiny flowers dotted amongst its leaves.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It had tiny flowers dotted amongst its leaves.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading It had tiny flowers dotted amongst its leaves.
legionsnounUS /ˈliːdʒənz/
plural of “legion” — archaic terms for army
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
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 A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
engage in
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
moon-flowers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
moonlessadjective
without a moon or a visible moon
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
pickingnounUS /ˈpɪkɪŋ/
the quantity of a crop that is harvested
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
plantverbUS /plænt/
put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
PoppynounUS /ˈpɑːpi/
annual or biennial or perennial herbs having showy flowers
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
scentsnounUS /sents/
plural of “scent” — a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
silveryadjectiveUS /ˈsɪlvəri/
resembling or reminiscent of silver
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
subtleadjectiveUS /ˈsʌtəl/
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
tendrils
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
very small
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
tollingverbUS /ˈtoʊlɪŋ/
-ing form of “toll” — ring slowly
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
twiningverbUS /ˈtwaɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “twine” — spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
wavingnounUS /ˈweɪvɪŋ/
the act of signaling by a movement of the hand
From this reading A green, clinging plant, waving long tendrils, clutched at her gown as she passed, and she broke it off, and, twining it into a crown, put it on her hair.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Poppy walked in the gracious dimness, her bare, pale feet picking their way delicately amongst bright things lying like fallen stars in the grass.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
a Caucasian
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The moon-flowers were tolling their heavy, white bells, and some big flowering-bush, with pale, subtle blossoms, seemed to have all the fragrance of a beautiful woman's hair.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading It was a moonless night, but the stars were out in their legions, and the garden was full of a warm, silvery silence--the silence composed of the thousand tiny sounds and scents that make the charm and wonder of an African night.
