used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
from appearances alone
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
completely unclothed
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
placed in a grave
From this reading The sand buried everything, even the mountain sides.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
CalifornianounUS /ˌkæləˈfɔːrnjə/
a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
cappedadjectiveUS /kæpt/
used especially of front teeth having (artificial) crowns
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
crunchedverbUS /krʌntʃt/
past form of “crunch” — make a crushing noise
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
desolateadjectiveUS /ˈdesələt/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
divideverbUS /dɪˈvaɪd/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
plural of “dog” — 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 RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
divisible by two
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The sand buried everything, even the mountain sides.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
flownounUS /floʊ/
the motion characteristic of fluids (liquids or gases)
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
grainnounUS /ɡreɪn/
a relatively small granular particle of a substance
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
granitenounUS /ˈɡrænət/
plutonic igneous rock having visibly crystalline texture; generally composed of feldspar and mica and quartz
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
GulfnounUS /ɡʌlf/
an arm of a sea or ocean partly enclosed by land; larger than a bay
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
ten 10s
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
lavanounUS /ˈlɑːvə/
rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos; lava is what magma is called when it reaches the surface
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
lisp-lisp
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
the force of workers available
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
MESAnounUS /ˈmeɪsə/
flat tableland with steep edges
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading The sand buried everything, even the mountain sides.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
in motion
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
uttered with a trill
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral
From this reading The sand buried everything, even the mountain sides.
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The sand buried everything, even the mountain sides.
southwesterlyadjective
coming from the southwest
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
stealthilyadverb
in a stealthy manner
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
stratumnounUS /ˈstrætəm/
one of several parallel layers of material arranged one on top of another (such as a layer of tissue or cells in an organism or a layer of sedimentary rock)
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
confined on all sides
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sand buried everything, even the mountain sides.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
a just detectable amount
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Bare and desolate mountains surrounded them, and one rose in sheer gray granite, capped by a black stratum of lava, apparently two hundred feet thick.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
vegetationnounUS /ˌvedʒəˈteɪʃən/
all the plant life in a particular region or period
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
wallowedverbUS /ˈwɑːloʊd/
past form of “wallow” — devote oneself entirely to something; indulge in to an immoderate degree, usually with pleasure
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Of even desert vegetation there was not a trace here.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading RED MESA Across a bare and sandy divide wallowed and crunched a weary party of horses, men, and dogs.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading One could hear the faint lisp-lisp of it, moving stealthily along, grain by grain, under the flow of the southwesterly winds rolling up from the Gulf of California.
