used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
cañon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
crimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
fadedadjectiveUS /ˈfeɪdəd/
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
foothillsnounUS /ˈfʊthɪlz/
plural of “foothill” — a relatively low hill on the lower slope of a mountain
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/
resembling or characteristic of a phantom
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
machinerynounUS /məˈʃiːnəri/
machines or machine systems collectively
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
palenessnoun
unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
the act of playing a musical instrument
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
PlazanounUS /ˈplɑːzə/
a public square with room for pedestrians
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
in the near future
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
prickles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
precisely, exactly
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
cut with a saw
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
scrambledadjectiveUS /ˈskræmbəld/
thrown together in a disorderly fashion
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
scrubverbUS /skrʌb/
clean with hard rubbing
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
scrubbyadjectiveUS /ˈskrʌbi/
sparsely covered with stunted trees or vegetation and underbrush
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
SierranounUS /siˈerə/
a range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline)
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
having a sharp inclination
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/
act of expanding by lengthening or widening
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
thumpingnounUS /ˈθʌmpɪŋ/
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He scrambled up the cañon on the side away from the town.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was very steep, the scrub was full of prickles.
at any time that; every time that
From this reading Behind him, whenever he turned, he could see the lights of the town, and hear the dull thumping of the machinery and the noise of the band playing in the Plaza.
in or at the place that
From this reading On his right was a vast sea of ghostly paleness stretching away for hundreds of miles into the sky, where crimson faded into a kind of green.
wildernessnounUS /ˈwɪldərnəs/
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading Presently he reached the top and saw a wilderness of scrubby foothills stretching away for miles, as it seemed, into the Sierra.
