used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
(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 The native birds were all silent.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Human life was almost as quiescent as that of the birds.
amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
ArcticnounUS /ˈɑːrktɪk/
the regions to the north of the Arctic Circle centered on the North Pole
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading The native birds were all silent.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
CanadianadjectiveUS /kəˈneɪdiən/
of or relating to Canada or its people
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
cheerfullyadverbUS /ˈtʃɪrfəli/
in a cheerful manner
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
chirped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
climatenounUS /ˈklaɪmət/
the weather in some location averaged over some long period of time
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
flutteredverbUS /ˈflʌtərd/
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
inflected form of “fight” — be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
frostsnounUS /frɔːsts/
plural of “frost” — ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
a form of energy that is transferred by a difference in temperature
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
HumanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Human life was almost as quiescent as that of the birds.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
indifferentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfrənt/
marked by a lack of interest
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
JanuarynounUS /ˈdʒænjuːeri/
the first month of the year; begins 10 days after the winter solstice
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
junks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
and nothing more
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Human life was almost as quiescent as that of the birds.
loadingnounUS /ˈloʊdɪŋ/
weight to be borne or conveyed
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
From this reading The native birds were all silent.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
and nothing more
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
(often plural) a command given by a superior (e.g., a military or law enforcement officer) that must be obeyed
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
quiescentadjectiveUS /kwaɪˈesənt/
not active or activated
From this reading Human life was almost as quiescent as that of the birds.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading The native birds were all silent.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
sparrowsnounUS /ˈsperoʊz/
plural of “sparrow” — any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insects
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Human life was almost as quiescent as that of the birds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The native birds were all silent.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Only the English sparrows seemed utterly indifferent to the heat.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Human life was almost as quiescent as that of the birds.
water-front
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The native birds were all silent.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Down by the water-front of the town a number of junks were hastily loading in order to put to sea with the late afternoon tide.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They fluttered and chirped and fought just as cheerfully as they would have done in the soft climate of their native England or amid the Arctic frosts of a Western Canadian January.
