used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
breakersnounUS /ˈbreɪkərz/
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
Colin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading In consequence, the other sounds were heard more distinctly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
plural of “cry” — a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
deadenedadjective
devoid of physical sensation; numb
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading In consequence, the other sounds were heard more distinctly.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
divisible by two
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
an item of information that is typical of a class or group
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading In consequence, the other sounds were heard more distinctly.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
imitatingverbUS /ˈɪməteɪtɪŋ/
-ing form of “imitate” — reproduce someone's behavior or looks
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In consequence, the other sounds were heard more distinctly.
incredulousadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkredʒələs/
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
interventionnounUS /ˌɪntərˈvenʃən/
the act of intervening (as to mediate a dispute, etc.)
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
for more time
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
the force of workers available
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
not any; not one
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
nocturnaladjectiveUS /nɑːkˈtɜːrnəl/
belonging to or active during the night
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
O'ConnornounUS /oʊˈkɑːnər/
United States writer (1925-1964)
From this reading They could no longer be mistaken, even by the incredulous O'Connor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading In consequence, the other sounds were heard more distinctly.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
quadrupeds
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
sand-spur
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
saturnalianoun
an orgiastic festival in ancient Rome in honor of Saturn
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading In consequence, the other sounds were heard more distinctly.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Colin had come to a stop, the others imitating his example.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
belonging to which person
From this reading They were now more distant from the breakers, whose roar was somewhat deadened by the intervention of a sand-spur.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading There were voices of men, women and children, cries and calls of quadrupeds, each according to its own kind, all mingled together in what might have been taken for some nocturnal saturnalia of the desert.
