used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
(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 A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
approvalnounUS /əˈpruːvəl/
the formal act of approving
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
inflected form of “buy” — obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
compactnounUS /ˈkɑːmpækt/
a small cosmetics case with a mirror; to be carried in a woman's purse
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
without deviation
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
Dylar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
far-stretching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading “You may find yourself hemmed in.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
the act of departing
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
destroyed or killed
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
hemmedverbUS /hemd/
inflected form of “hem” — fold over and sew together to provide with a hem
From this reading “You may find yourself hemmed in.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
Iona
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “You may find yourself hemmed in.
a person who carries a message
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
past form of “obtain” — come into possession of
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
OlivesnounUS /ˈɑːlɪvz/
plural of “olive” — small ovoid fruit of the European olive tree; important food and source of oil
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
on one occasion
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
preserveverbUS /prəˈzɜːrv/
keep or maintain in unaltered condition; cause to remain or last
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
SalvadornounUS /ˈsælvədɔːr/
a republic on the Pacific coast of Central America
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
San
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
try to get or reach
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
territorynounUS /ˈterɪtɔːri/
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “Do not seek now to preserve a compact territory,” she said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
threadsnounUS /θredz/
informal terms for clothing
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
tractnounUS /trækt/
an extended area of land
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
webnounUS /web/
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A messenger went out and a messenger came in once a month, and Dylar held in his hand the threads of all their delicate far-stretching web.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were gone; and San Salvador resumed its usual life, too happy to have a history.
in or at the place that
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Iona before going had obtained his approval of some of her plans, which were in fact his own, and the first messenger from her went directly to the Olives, where he bought a large tract of land.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You may find yourself hemmed in.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “You may find yourself hemmed in.
