used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
(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 They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
capsnounUS /kæps/
plural of “cap” — a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
chatteringnounUS /ˈtʃætərɪŋ/
the rapid series of noises made by the parts of a machine
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
diggingnounUS /ˈdɪɡɪŋ/
the act of digging
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
Eigil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland, sons of a King.
elvesnounUS /elvz/
an acronym for emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
apart from; not including
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
opinion or judgment
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
having or given a form or shape
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland, sons of a King.
go away from a place
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
come together
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
the force of workers available
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
and nothing more
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
North American woodland herb similar to and used as substitute for the Chinese ginseng
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
cut with a saw
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
Slagfid
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland, sons of a King.
plural of “son” — a male human offspring
From this reading Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland, sons of a King.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
tonguesnounUS /tʌŋz/
plural of “tongue” — a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
WaylandnounUS /ˈweɪlənd/
(European mythology) a supernatural smith and king of the elves; identified with Norse Volund
From this reading Slagfid, Eigil, and Wayland, sons of a King.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
at the time that
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
in or at the place that
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They were dressed all in grey, except for their caps, which were red; they had red eyes, too, and black tongues, which never ceased chattering.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
the day immediately before today
From this reading When they reached the mountains where only yesterday they had been digging, they saw by the light of the moon a host of little men running to meet them.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading These were the mountain elves, and when they came near they formed themselves into a fairy ring, and sang while they danced round it;-- Will you leave us?
