used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
anonadverbUS /ˌæˈnɔːn/
at another time
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
arcnounUS /ɑːrk/
electrical conduction through a gas in an applied electric field
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
brisklyadverbUS /ˈbrɪskli/
in a brisk manner
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
lacking funds
From this reading When day broke, we were twenty miles from the camp.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading When day broke, we were twenty miles from the camp.
cheeredverbUS /tʃɪrd/
past form of “cheer” — give encouragement to
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
creepingnounUS /ˈkriːpɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading When day broke, we were twenty miles from the camp.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
earth'snounUS /ɜːrθs/
possessive form of “earth” — the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
escapingverbUS /ɪˈskeɪpɪŋ/
-ing form of “escape” — run away from confinement
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
fissurenounUS /ˈfɪʃər/
a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
gapingadjectiveUS /ˈɡeɪpɪŋ/
with the mouth wide open as in wonder or awe
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
herbless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
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 The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
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 rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading When day broke, we were twenty miles from the camp.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
night'snounUS /naɪts/
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
onwardadverbUS /ˈɔːnwərd/
forward in time or order or degree
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
parchedadjectiveUS /pɑːrtʃt/
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
the possibility of future success
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
uttered with a trill
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
sandyadjectiveUS /ˈsændi/
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
savagesnounUS /ˈsævədʒəz/
plural of “savage” — a member of an uncivilized people
From this reading "We made a good night's journey of it, cheered by the prospect of escaping from the savages.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
sunkadjectiveUS /sʌŋk/
doomed to extinction
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
confined on all sides
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
swellverbUS /swel/
increase in size, magnitude, number, or intensity
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
topsadjectiveUS /tɑːps/
of the highest quality
From this reading We knew that we must have passed over a considerable arc of the earth's surface before their tops could have sunk below the horizon.
a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
travelledadjectiveUS /ˈtrævəld/
familiar with many parts of the world
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
treelessadjectiveUS /ˈtriːləs/
not wooded
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading When day broke, we were twenty miles from the camp.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
wadingnounUS /ˈweɪdɪŋ/
walking with your feet in shallow water
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The rough hills that surrounded it were completely lost to our view, and we knew from this that we had travelled a long way; for some of these hills were of great height.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "And onward we went--here creeping around some gaping fissure, that opened across our track--there wading over a sandy swell--and anon rolling briskly along the smooth, herbless plain; for the country we were passing through was a parched and treeless desert.
at the time that
From this reading When day broke, we were twenty miles from the camp.
