used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
awaitingverbUS /əˈweɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “await” — look forward to the probable occurrence of
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
barrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
Clayton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
clungverbUS /klʌŋ/
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
crispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
disclosedadjectiveUS /dɪˈskloʊzd/
made known (especially something secret or concealed)
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
far-famedadjective
widely known and esteemed
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
fieryadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪəri/
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
fungusnounUS /ˈfʌŋɡəs/
an organism of the kingdom Fungi lacking chlorophyll and feeding on organic matter; ranging from unicellular or multicellular organisms to spore-bearing syncytia
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
yet to be or coming
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
gantletnounUS /ˈɡɔːntlət/
to offer or accept a challenge
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
hillsidenounUS /ˈhɪlsaɪd/
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
maplesnounUS /ˈmeɪpəlz/
plural of “maple” — wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
MELVY
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
Melvy's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
plumpadjectiveUS /plʌmp/
sufficiently fat so as to have a pleasing fullness of figure
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
revelationnounUS /ˌrevəˈleɪʃən/
the speech act of making something evident
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
SOOTHSAYERnounUS /ˌsuːθˈseɪər/
someone who makes predictions of the future (usually on the basis of special knowledge)
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
steepadjectiveUS /stiːp/
having a sharp inclination
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
successive (without a break)
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
sumacnounUS /ˈsuːmæk/
wood of a sumac
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
tea-leaves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading In the doorway sat three girls, one tall and dark, one plump and fair, and the third straight and thin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading The little cabin clung to the side of the steep slope like a bit of fungus to the trunk of a tree.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AUNT MELVY AS A SOOTHSAYER It was a crisp afternoon in late October.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were anxiously awaiting the revelation of the future as disclosed by Aunt Melvy's far-famed tea-leaves.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
Who'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The road leading west from Clayton ran the gantlet of fiery maples and sumac until it reached the barren hillside below "Who'd 'a' Thought It."
