used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
(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 But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
the act of breaking something
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
BrethrennounUS /ˈbreðrən/
(plural) the lay members of a male religious order
From this reading "Brethren, let's raise our hands."
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
crapnounUS /kræp/
obscene terms for feces
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
dicenounUS /daɪs/
a small cube with 1 to 6 spots on the six faces; used in gambling to generate random numbers
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
having the place or position changed
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
drawling
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
at any time
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "Brethren, let's raise our hands."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
keepernounUS /ˈkiːpər/
someone in charge of other people
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
lanternnounUS /ˈlæntərn/
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
let's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Brethren, let's raise our hands."
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
MadrigalverbUS /ˈmædrəɡəl/
sing madrigals
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
MexicannounUS /ˈmeksəkən/
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
muzzlenounUS /ˈmʌzəl/
the open circular discharging end of a gun
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
absolutely essential
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
NoahnounUS /ˈnoʊə/
the Hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of rain; the story of Noah and the flood is told in the Book of Genesis
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
on one occasion
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Brethren, let's raise our hands."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
pairsnounUS /perz/
plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
profoundlyadverbUS /proʊˈfaʊndli/
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading "Brethren, let's raise our hands."
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
shotgunnounUS /ˈʃɑːtɡʌn/
firearm that is a double-barreled smoothbore shoulder weapon for firing shot at short ranges
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
twigverbUS /twɪɡ/
branch out in a twiglike manner
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading Noah, bent low, slipped forward in utter silence--more silence than necessary.
viciousadjectiveUS /ˈvɪʃəs/
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Three pairs of eyes leaped up from the dice and looked into the muzzle of the most vicious shotgun they had ever seen--not ten feet away.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading But all at once from out the night came a drawling voice:
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The American water keeper, Madrigal, and the Mexican guard were too profoundly busy with a crap game on the floor under the lantern to be disturbed by the mere breaking of a twig.
