used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
abandonverbUS /əˈbændən/
forsake, leave behind
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
in addition
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
Champlain's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
colonynounUS /ˈkɑːləni/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
continuancenounUS /kənˈtɪnjuːəns/
the act of continuing an activity without interruption
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
DASHverbUS /dæʃ/
run or move very quickly or hastily
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
disappearancenounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrəns/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
psychological suffering
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
forlornadjectiveUS /fərˈlɔːrn/
marked by or showing hopelessness
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
foundedverbUS /ˈfaʊndɪd/
past form of “found” — set up or found
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
garrisonnounUS /ˈɡærɪsən/
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
destroyed or killed
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
to a considerable degree
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
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 DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
mainstaynounUS /ˈmeɪnsteɪ/
a prominent supporter
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
mournedverbUS /mɔːrnd/
past form of “mourn” — feel sadness
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
not any; not one
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
plannedadjectiveUS /plænd/
designed or carried out according to a plan
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
QuebecnounUS /kwəˈbek/
the French-speaking capital of the province of Quebec; situated on the Saint Lawrence River
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
selfishlyadverb
in an egotistical manner
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
the act of causing something to go (especially messages)
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
settlementnounUS /ˈsetəlmənt/
a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
sincerelyadverbUS /sɪnˈsɪrli/
with sincerity; without pretense
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So they mourned him sincerely if also selfishly, and planned to abandon his settlement at the first opportunity, if indeed any should offer.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
express in words
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
weighedverbUS /weɪd/
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading A DASH FOR LIBERTY The mystery of Champlain's disappearance weighed heavily on the spirits of the forlorn little garrison left to hold Quebec.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
in or at the place that
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He had been the life and mainstay of the colony, the firm rock upon which it was founded.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Without him there seemed no hope of its continuance or of relief from their distress.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They were convinced that he was dead, for they knew he would never have left them without at least sending a message to tell where he had gone.
