used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
blanketsnounUS /ˈblæŋkəts/
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
lacking funds
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
chinksnounUS /tʃɪŋks/
plural of “chink” — (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of Chinese descent
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
DAUPHINÉ
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
half-past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
temporary military shelter
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
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 But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
Meije
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
the force of workers available
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
secondsnounUS /ˈsekəndz/
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
shelfnounUS /ʃelf/
A flat horizontal plane used to hold books or scrolls in a library.
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
spitverbUS /spɪt/
expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
spluttered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
stealingnounUS /ˈstiːlɪŋ/
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
not in physical motion
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
tardilyadverb
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE DAUPHINÉ The day broke tardily among the mountains of Dauphiné.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
very small
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
at the time that
From this reading And when the darkness was broken it was by the sudden spit of a match.
which person or people
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading At half-past three on a morning of early August light should be already stealing through the little window and the chinks into the hut upon the Meije.
covered with or as if with clothes or a wrap or cloak
From this reading But the four men who lay wrapped in blankets on the long broad shelf still slept in darkness.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading The tiny blue flame spluttered for a few seconds and then burned bright and yellow.
