used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
attemptingverbUS /əˈtemptɪŋ/
-ing form of “attempt” — make an effort or attempt
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
cooledverbUS /kuːld/
past form of “cool” — make cool or cooler
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
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 As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
disappearverbUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪr/
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
dreadingverbUS /ˈdredɪŋ/
-ing form of “dread” — be afraid or scared of; be frightened of
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
divisible by two
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
fascinationnounUS /ˌfæsəˈneɪʃən/
the state of being intensely interested (as by awe or terror)
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
moving swiftly
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
hopelessadjectiveUS /ˈhoʊpləs/
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
intense and profound fear
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
hypnoticadjectiveUS /hɪpˈnɑːtɪk/
of or relating to hypnosis
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
investigateverbUS /ˌɪnˈvestəɡeɪt/
investigate scientifically
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
lairnounUS /ler/
the habitation of wild animals
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
Melvar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
become covered with mist
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
a particular point in time
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
needlesnounUS /ˈniːdəlz/
plural of “needle” — the leaf of a conifer
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
pencilsnounUS /ˈpensəlz/
plural of “pencil” — a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
by chance
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
presumablyadverbUS /prəˈzuːməbli/
by reasonable assumption
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
resignedverbUS /rɪˈzaɪnd/
past form of “resign” — leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
uttered with a trill
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
cut with a saw
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
transport commercially
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
not in physical motion
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading With a feeling of resigned and hopeless horror, we saw one of the crimson pencils circle lower about the place, then disappear in the direction of its lair beyond the Silver Lake.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
uselessnessnoun
the quality of having no practical use
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ground was still too hot for us to walk upon, and we felt the uselessness of attempting to escape on foot, even if it had already cooled.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The Battle in the Mist For perhaps an hour we sat there on the rock.
at the time that
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
whistlingnounUS /ˈwɪslɪŋ/
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading Even as the whistling roar of its passage was rolling down upon us, Melvar spoke.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading As soon as the smoke cleared, we could see the crimson needles flying high upon their vague red tracks, and we watched them with a sort of hypnotic fascination, dreading the moment when one of them would land to investigate the fate of the ship that lay silent and presumably empty before us.
