used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
(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 All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
any thing at all
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
aridadjectiveUS /ˈærəd/
lacking sufficient water or rainfall
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
beatsnounUS /biːts/
a United States youth subculture of the 1950s; rejected possessions or regular work or traditional dress; for communal living and psychedelic drugs and anarchism; favored modern forms of jazz (e.g., bebop)
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
BelowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
boilingnounUS /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/
the application of heat to change something from a liquid to a gas
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
commentedverbUS /ˈkɑːmentəd/
past form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
confiningadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪnɪŋ/
restricting the scope or freedom of action
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
craternounUS /ˈkreɪtər/
a bowl-shaped geological formation at the top of a volcano
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
at any time
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
exclamationnounUS /ˌekskləˈmeɪʃən/
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
fantasticadjectiveUS /fænˈtæstɪk/
ludicrously odd
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
fieryadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪəri/
characterized by intense emotion
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
start firing a weapon
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
glowedverbUS /ɡloʊd/
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
someone employed to conduct others
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
Herc
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
Kilauea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
lavanounUS /ˈlɑːvə/
rock that in its molten form (as magma) issues from volcanos; lava is what magma is called when it reaches the surface
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
Ned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
precipices
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
proceedingnounUS /prəˈsiːdɪŋ/
(law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
reekverbUS /riːk/
have an element suggestive (of something)
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
a strong line
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
springsnounUS /sprɪŋz/
plural of “spring” — the season of growth
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
sulphurousadjective
of or related to or containing sulfur or derived from sulfur
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Looks like the entrance to the bad place,” commented Herc.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
communicated in words
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
volcanonounUS /vɑːlˈkeɪnoʊ/
a fissure in the earth's crust (or in the surface of some other planet) through which molten lava and gases erupt
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Below them glowed the eternal fires of the volcano, and the air was filled with a sulphurous reek proceeding from several boiling springs.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, this beats anything I’ve ever seen!”
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading Ned uttered the exclamation as the boys stood on the western lip of the fiery crater of Kilauea.
in the company of; together with
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
wroughtadjectiveUS /rɔːt/
shaped to fit by or as if by altering the contours of a pliable mass (as by work or effort)
From this reading All about the boys and their guide, not to forget Blue Lightning with his confining rope, shot up arid precipices, wrought into fantastic forms by fire and lava.
