used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
anew
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
brandynounUS /ˈbrændi/
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
Carl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
the first light of day
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
destroyed or killed
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
held up in the air
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
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 He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
man'snounUS /mænz/
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
rodnounUS /rɑːd/
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
seemingadjectiveUS /ˈsiːmɪŋ/
appearing as such but not necessarily so
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
with low volume
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
make steady
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
step-brother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Dawn was coming down from above; the air was slightly stirred.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
templesnounUS /ˈtempəlz/
plural of “temple” — place of worship consisting of an edifice for the worship of a deity
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading The elder man's head grew more steady, as he lifted his step-brother, gave him brandy, rubbed his temples and chest, and then, as he came slowly back to life again, stood thinking what he should do.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
having come into contact
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
trampedverbUS /træmpt/
past form of “tramp” — travel on foot, especially on a walking expedition
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
water'snounUS /ˈwɔːtərz/
possessive form of “water” — binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading He tramped down to the water's edge, each step seeming to him a rod long, and now a valley, and now a hill.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What little consciousness he had kept was now gone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The canoe touched the bank, and Carl fell forward; not with violence, but softly, and without strength.
