Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

later than; following

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

plural of “age” — how long something has existed

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

(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 All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

an upward slope or grade (as in a road)

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “avalanche” — a slide of large masses of snow and ice and mud down a mountain

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

United States explorer who accompanied Peary's expedition to the North Pole and who led many other Arctic trips (1875-1946)

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

a quality that outshines the usual

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

a solid formed by the solidification of a chemical and having a highly regular atomic structure

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

third-person singular of “extend” — extend in scope or range or area

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

be suspended or hanging

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

only a very short time before

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

plural of “hollow” — a cavity or space in something

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

the act of departing

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

-ing form of “loiter” — be about

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

having hills and crags

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

of an obscure nature

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

many times at short intervals

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

plural of “one” — the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “pathway” — a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

existing or coming before

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

the month following August and preceding October

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

from a time in the past until now

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “slide” — a small flat rectangular piece of glass on which specimens can be mounted for microscopic study

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

having a sharp inclination

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the first light of day

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

up to a particular time

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

in the direction of

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

past form of “tower” — appear very large or occupy a commanding position

From this reading Height after height had risen and towered one above another till the clouds began to hang below the peaks.

a line or route along which something travels or moves

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

plural of “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 Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

all the plant life in a particular region or period

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

plural of “vestige” — an indication that something has been present

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

the activity of making visits

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

plural of “wandering” — travelling about without any clear destination

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was now the middle of September.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Down their slopes were the red pathways of the slides, those avalanches of earth, stones, and trees, which descend into the hollows, leaving vestiges of their track hardly to be effaced by the vegetation of ages.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.

a Caucasian

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

belonging to which person

From this reading All that day and two preceding ones we had been loitering towards the heart of the White Mountains,—those old crystal hills, whose mysterious brilliancy had gleamed upon our distant wanderings before we thought of visiting them.

in the company of; together with

From this reading We had come since sunrise from Bartlett, passing up through the valley of the Saco, which extends between mountainous walls, sometimes with a steep ascent, but often as level as a church-aisle.