used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
AlpineadjectiveUS /ˈælpaɪn/
relating to or characteristic of alps
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
a period of 100 years
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
chateaunounUS /ʃæˈtoʊ/
an impressive country house (or castle) in France
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
clumpnounUS /klʌmp/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
convolutions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
fifteenthadjectiveUS /fɪfˈtiːnθ/
coming next after the fourteenth and just before the sixteenth in position
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
fruitfuladjectiveUS /ˈfruːtfəl/
productive or conducive to producing in abundance
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
coins made of gold
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The near hills slumbered in the sunshine.
hillsidenounUS /ˈhɪlsaɪd/
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
idlenessnounUS /ˈaɪdəlnəs/
having no employment
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The near hills slumbered in the sunshine.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
JulynounUS /ˌdʒuːˈlaɪ/
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
largenessnounUS /ˈlɑːrdʒnɪs/
the capacity to understand a broad range of topics
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
maternaladjectiveUS /məˈtɜːrnəl/
characteristic of a mother
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading The near hills slumbered in the sunshine.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
outlinenounUS /ˈaʊtlaɪn/
the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
patchedadjectiveUS /pætʃt/
mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
peaksnounUS /piːks/
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
possessing material wealth
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
precisely, exactly
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
slumbered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The near hills slumbered in the sunshine.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
spursnounUS /spɜːrz/
plural of “spur” — a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The near hills slumbered in the sunshine.
swelteringadjectiveUS /ˈsweltərɪŋ/
excessively hot and humid or marked by sweating and faintness
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
threadverbUS /θred/
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
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 A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IT was the late afternoon of a sweltering July day.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A long white road stretched away to the left following the convolutions of the valley, until it became a thread; on the right it turned sharply by a clump of trees which marked a farm.
a Caucasian
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Far away beyond them grey peaks of Alpine spurs, patched with snow, rose in faint outline against the sky.
yieldingadjectiveUS /ˈjiːldɪŋ/
inclined to yield to argument or influence or control
From this reading The valley lay in rich idleness, green and gold and fruitful, yielding itself with a maternal largeness to the white fifteenth century chateau on the hillside.
