used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
alertadjectiveUS /əˈlɜːrt/
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading No sound came to him from below.
bendverbUS /bend/
form a curve
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading No sound came to him from below.
canyonnounUS /ˈkænjən/
a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
cautionnounUS /ˈkɑːʃən/
the trait of being cautious; being attentive to possible danger
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
CODEnounUS /koʊd/
a set of rules or principles or laws (especially written ones)
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
seemingly without interruption
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
crooningnounUS /ˈkruːnɪŋ/
singing in a soft low tone
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
encounterverbUS /ɪnˈkaʊntər/
come together
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
encouragementnounUS /enˈkɜːrɪdʒmənt/
the expression of approval and support
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading No sound came to him from below.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
advanced in complexity or elaboration
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No sound came to him from below.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
ignoredadjectiveUS /ˌɪɡˈnɔːrd/
disregarded
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
conformity or harmony
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
plural of “line” — a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
the force of workers available
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
an uneasy psychological state
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
not any; not one
From this reading No sound came to him from below.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
pathsnounUS /pæðz/
plural of “path” — a course of conduct
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
possenounUS /ˈpɑːsi/
a temporary police force
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
posturenounUS /ˈpɑːstʃər/
the arrangement of the body and its limbs
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
continue talking
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
Rathburn
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
riftsnounUS /rɪfts/
plural of “rift” — a gap between cloud masses
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
precisely, exactly
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
put a saddle on
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
sheriffnounUS /ˈʃerəf/
the principal law-enforcement officer in a county
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading No sound came to him from below.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
tensionnounUS /ˈtenʃən/
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading THE DESERT CODE Keeping to the trail, Rathburn mounted higher and higher and spoke continually to his horse in a crooning tone of encouragement.
of the greatest possible degree or extent or intensity
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
precisely as stated
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His face was drawn in grim lines, his eyes were constantly alert, his very posture in the saddle showed that his nerves were at high tension.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He ignored dim paths which occasionally led off to the left or right in rifts in the sheer, black walls of the narrow canyon.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He knew the posse would have to proceed with the utmost caution, for the sheriff and his men could not be sure that they would not encounter him at some bend in the trail.
