used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
aliveadjectiveUS /əˈlaɪv/
possessing life
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
plural of “body” — the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
bonenounUS /boʊn/
rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
cactusnounUS /ˈkæktəs/
any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
cracklingnounUS /ˈkræklɪŋ/
the residue that remains after animal fat has been rendered
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
cricketsnounUS /ˈkrɪkəts/
plural of “cricket” — leaping insect; male makes chirping noises by rubbing the forewings together
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading Midsummer in the desert.
plural of “dog” — a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
easternadjectiveUS /ˈiːstərn/
lying toward or situated in the east
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
GEEnounUS /dʒiː/
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading GEE--WHOA--HAW!
grassyadjectiveUS /ˈɡræsi/
abounding in grass
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
HAWnounUS /hɔː/
a spring-flowering shrub or small tree of the genus Crataegus
From this reading GEE--WHOA--HAW!
hornedadjectiveUS /hɔːrnd/
having a horn or horns or hornlike parts or horns of a particular kind
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Midsummer in the desert.
loathsomely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
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 The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
MidsummernounUS /ˈmɪdˈsʌmər/
June 21, when the sun is at its northernmost point
From this reading Midsummer in the desert.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
parchmentnounUS /ˈpɑːrtʃ.mənt/
A stiff, flat, thin material made from the prepared skin of an animal, used for writing.
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
PlainsnounUS /pleɪnz/
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
rattlesnakenounUS /ˈrætəlsneɪk/
pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
replacedverbUS /ˌriːˈpleɪst/
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
sandsnounUS /sændz/
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
only a very short time before
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
scourgenounUS /skɜːrdʒ/
a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
shiftingadjectiveUS /ˈʃɪftɪŋ/
continuously varying
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Midsummer in the desert.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
toadnounUS /toʊd/
any of various tailless stout-bodied amphibians with long hind limbs for leaping; semiaquatic and terrestrial species
From this reading The horned toad, the cactus, the rattlesnake long since had replaced the prairie dogs of the grassy floor of the eastern Plains.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading A scourge of great black crickets appeared, crackling loathsomely under the wheels.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
WHOA
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading GEE--WHOA--HAW!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The road now, but for the shifting of the sands, would have been marked by the bodies of dead cattle, in death scarcely more bone and parchment than for days they had been while alive.
