used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
ankle-deepadjective
coming only to the ankle or knee
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
barrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/
providing no shelter or sustenance
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Wan starlight showed in the rifts between the clouds.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Wan starlight showed in the rifts between the clouds.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
freshnessnounUS /ˈfreʃnəs/
the property of being pure and fresh (as if newly made); not stale or deteriorated
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
hedgesnounUS /ˈhedʒɪz/
plural of “hedge” — a fence formed by a row of closely planted shrubs or bushes
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
an indirect suggestion
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
lanesnounUS /leɪnz/
plural of “lane” — a narrow way or road
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
marchingnounUS /ˈmɑːrtʃɪŋ/
the act of marching; walking with regular steps (especially in a procession of some kind)
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
the force of workers available
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
become covered with mist
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
moistadjectiveUS /mɔɪst/
slightly wet
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
muddyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌdi/
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
others
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
penetratingadjectiveUS /ˈpenətreɪtɪŋ/
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
ploddedverbUS /ˈplɑːdɪd/
inflected form of “plod” — walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
poolsnounUS /puːlz/
plural of “pool” — an excavation that is (usually) filled with water
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
postsnounUS /poʊsts/
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
rawadjectiveUS /rɑː/
(used especially of commodities) being unprocessed or manufactured using only simple or minimal processes
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
riftsnounUS /rɪfts/
plural of “rift” — a gap between cloud masses
From this reading Wan starlight showed in the rifts between the clouds.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Wan starlight showed in the rifts between the clouds.
slipperyadjectiveUS /ˈslɪpəri/
causing or tending to cause things to slip or slide
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
spectraladjectiveUS /ˈspektrəl/
of or relating to a spectrum
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
the season of growth
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
starlightnounUS /ˈstɑːrlaɪt/
the light of the stars
From this reading Wan starlight showed in the rifts between the clouds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Rain had ceased to fall, but a fine, cold, penetrating mist filled the air.
unrealitynounUS /ˌʌnriˈæləti/
the quality possessed by something that is unreal
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
not clearly expressed or understood
From this reading Neither dark nor light, the midnight hour had its unreality in this line of marching men; and its reality in the dim, vague hedges, its spectral posts, its barren fields.
WanadjectiveUS /wɑːn/
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading Wan starlight showed in the rifts between the clouds.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
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 ground was muddy in places, slippery in others; and here and there it held pools of water ankle-deep.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Through the pale obscurity of a French night, cool, raw, moist, with a hint of spring in its freshness, a line of soldiers plodded along the lonely, melancholy lanes.
