used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
anew
From this reading The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
arraynounUS /ərˈeɪ/
an orderly arrangement
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
boundsnounUS /baʊndz/
the line or plane indicating the limit or extent of something
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
brandishingverbUS /ˈbrændɪʃɪŋ/
-ing form of “brandish” — move or swing back and forth
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
columnnounUS /ˈkɑːləm/
a line of units following one after another
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
cranedverbUS /kreɪnd/
past form of “crane” — stretch (the neck) so as to see better
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
devilsnounUS /ˈdevəlz/
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
elephantsnounUS /ˈeləfənts/
plural of “elephant” — five-toed pachyderm
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
eminencenounUS /ˈemənəns/
high status importance owing to marked superiority
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
-ing form of “expect” — regard something as probable or likely
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes.
facingnounUS /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/
a lining applied to the edge of a garment for ornamentation or strengthening
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
grinningnounUS /ˈɡrɪnɪŋ/
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
haltverbUS /hɔːlt/
cause to stop
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
only a very short time before
From this reading The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
and nothing more
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
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 It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
largeadjectiveUS /lɑːrdʒ/
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
leadersnounUS /ˈliːdərz/
the body of people who lead a group
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
the force of workers available
From this reading The men looked again and could hardly believe their eyes.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
necksnounUS /neks/
plural of “neck” — the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
negroesnounUS /ˈniːɡroʊz/
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
not any; not one
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
Onians
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
and nothing more
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
Onrai
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
poundingnounUS /ˈpaʊndɪŋ/
repeated heavy blows
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
cut with a saw
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
shieldsnounUS /ʃiːldz/
plural of “shield” — a protective covering or structure
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
sometimeadverbUS /ˈsʌmtaɪm/
at some indefinite or unstated time
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
spearsnounUS /spɪrz/
plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
having a supporting base
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
in or at that place or location
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading It took them sometime to do this, but when they arrived at the head of the column and saw from their high position on the elephants’ backs, the great body of negroes facing them and only half a mile distant, their surprise knew no bounds.
the upper part of anything
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No, they could not be mistaken; there they were; an array of black, grinning devils, brandishing their spears, or pounding their shields with them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
at the time that
From this reading Onrai and his friends, who had been riding in the rear, hurried forward when the column stopped, to see what was the matter.
which person or people
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The leader of the large body stopped short and those in the rear craned their necks to see what had caused the sudden halt; but they could see nothing, for it was only the leaders, who had just reached the top of a slight eminence, who could see the large body of negroes, standing with shields in place and spears in hand as if expecting the Onians.
