used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
at or in the front
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
with anger
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
arrownounUS /ˈæroʊ/
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
Delawares
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
characterized by great determination
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
without deviation
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
alert carnivorous mammal with pointed muzzle and ears and a bushy tail; most are predators that do not hunt in packs
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
franticallyadverbUS /ˈfræntəkəli/
in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
hardwoodnounUS /ˈhɑːrdwʊd/
the wood of broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees (as distinguished from the wood of conifers)
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
hummed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
engage in
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
MohawknounUS /ˈmoʊhɔːk/
a member of the Iroquoian people formerly living along the Mohawk River in New York State
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
MohawksnounUS /ˈmoʊhɔːks/
plural of “mohawk” — a member of the Iroquoian people formerly living along the Mohawk River in New York State
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
piercingadjectiveUS /ˈpɪrsɪŋ/
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
reconnoiterverbUS /ˌriːkəˈnɔɪtər/
explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
cut with a saw
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
diligent and thorough in inquiry or investigation
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
sprucenounUS /spruːs/
light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
spurredverbUS /spɜːrd/
inflected form of “spur” — incite or stimulate
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
swampverbUS /swɑːmp/
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
the upper part of anything
From this reading The thought spurred them to greater efforts, and they scrambled frantically to the top of a low hardwood ridge to reconnoiter.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
war-cry
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As they started down the ridge, however, the piercing Mohawk war-cry rang in their ears, and an arrow hummed angrily between them.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading They saw what appeared to be a large spruce swamp directly ahead of them, and they determined to make it their hiding place.
at the time that
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Delawares had not gone far when they heard sounds which convinced them that the Mohawks were already searching for them.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “If we reach that place it will be hard for the Mohawks to find us,” said Running Fox.
