adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
barknounUS /bɑːrk/
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
brandishingverbUS /ˈbrændɪʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “brandish” — move or swing back and forth
From this reading “Well?” said the small fighter, brandishing his wooden weapon.
brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/
lacking funds
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
childnounUS /tʃaɪld/
a young person of either sex
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
curiositynounUS /ˌkjʊriˈɑːsəti/
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
doingverbUS /ˈduːɪŋ/
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
doornounUS /dɔːr/
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
ExcuseverbUS /ɪksˈkjuːs/
accept an excuse for
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
ferrulenoun
a metal cap or band placed on a wooden pole to prevent splitting
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
fierceadjectiveUS /fɪrs/
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
fighternounUS /ˈfaɪtər/
someone who fights (or is fighting)
From this reading “Well?” said the small fighter, brandishing his wooden weapon.
guffawnounUS /ɡəˈfɔː/
a burst of deep loud hearty laughter
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
instantnounUS /ˈɪnstənt/
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
lungesnounUS /ˈlʌndʒɪz/
plural of “lunge” — the act of moving forward suddenly
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
MacIan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
mannounUS /mæn/
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
neighbouringverbUS /ˈneɪbərɪŋ/
-ing form of “neighbour” — live or be located as a neighbor
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
printsnounUS /prɪnts/
plural of “print” — the text appearing in a book, newspaper, or other printed publication
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
puncturesnounUS /ˈpʌŋktʃərz/
plural of “puncture” — loss of air pressure in a tire when a hole is made by some sharp object
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
repeatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈpiːtɪd/
recurring again and again
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
saidadjectiveUS /sed/
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Well?” said the small fighter, brandishing his wooden weapon.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
staredverbUS /sterd/
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
stickverbUS /stɪk/
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/
happening unexpectedly
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
thenadverbUS /ðen/
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
treenounUS /triː/
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
trunknounUS /trʌŋk/
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 And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
Turnbull
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
weaponnounUS /ˈwepən/
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading “Well?” said the small fighter, brandishing his wooden weapon.
WelladverbUS /wel/
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well?” said the small fighter, brandishing his wooden weapon.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
wide-eyedadjective
exhibiting childlike simplicity and credulity
From this reading “Excuse me,” said MacIan suddenly with the wide-eyed curiosity of a child, “excuse me, but...”
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading And he made sudden lunges with his stick at the trunk of a neighbouring tree so that the ferrule made fierce prints and punctures in the bark.
woodenadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdən/
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading “Well?” said the small fighter, brandishing his wooden weapon.
YesnounUS /jes/
an affirmative
From this reading The little man stared an instant and then said: “Yes,” and Turnbull broke into a guffaw.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Excuse me,” repeated MacIan, “but was that what you were doing at the door?”
