used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
areanounUS /ˈeriə/
a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
burgnounUS /bɜːrɡ/
colloquial American term for a town
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was close on midnight.
cloudlessadjectiveUS /ˈklaʊdləs/
free from clouds
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
consistingverbUS /kənˈsɪstɪŋ/
-ing form of “consist” — originate
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
crescentnounUS /ˈkresənt/
any shape resembling the curved shape of the moon in its first or last quarters
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
EZ-LIBR
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EZ-LIBR.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
halberds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
only a very short time before
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
hatchetsnounUS /ˈhætʃəts/
plural of “hatchet” — weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
hay-forks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was close on midnight.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
and nothing more
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
leaguesnounUS /liːɡz/
plural of “league” — an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
held up in the air
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
loudestadjectiveUS /ˈlaʊdəst/
superlative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
the force of workers available
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was close on midnight.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
muskets
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was close on midnight.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
parishnounUS /ˈpærɪʃ/
a local church community
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
peasantsnounUS /ˈpezənts/
plural of “peasant” — a country person
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
Plouernel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
precededverbUS /prɪˈsiːdɪd/
past form of “precede” — be earlier in time; go back further
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/
(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
sallied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
scythes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
silveryadjectiveUS /ˈsɪlvəri/
resembling or reminiscent of silver
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
make square
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
tocsinnoun
the sound of an alarm (usually a bell)
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
troopnounUS /truːp/
a group of soldiers
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
vanguardnounUS /ˈvænɡɑːrd/
the leading units moving at the head of an army
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
waneverbUS /weɪn/
grow smaller
From this reading The moon, now on the wane, had just risen in a cloudless sky.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was close on midnight.
at the time that
From this reading Hardly had the silvery crescent lifted itself above the horizon when the parish bells, spread over an area of about ten square leagues round about the burg of Plouernel sounded the tocsin at their loudest.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At the signal, a troop of peasants armed with hatchets, hay-forks, scythes and old halberds, and preceded by a sort of vanguard consisting of fifty men armed with muskets, sallied out of the burg of Plouernel.
