used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to the magical sunset hour.
aldernounUS /ˈɔːldər/
wood of any of various alder trees; resistant to underwater rot; used for bridges etc
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
English botanist who accompanied Captain Cook on his first voyage to the Pacific Ocean (1743-1820)
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
campedverbUS /kæmpt/
past form of “camp” — live in or as if in a tent
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
clearnessnounUS /ˈklɪrnəs/
free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
crowdingnounUS /ˈkraʊdɪŋ/
a situation in which people or things are crowded together
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to the magical sunset hour.
edgesnounUS /ˈedʒəz/
plural of “edge” — the boundary of a surface
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
growthsnounUS /ɡroʊθs/
plural of “growth” — (biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
harshadjectiveUS /hɑːrʃ/
unpleasantly stern
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to the magical sunset hour.
HumboldtnounUS /ˈhʌmboʊlt/
German philologist noted for his studies of the relation between language and culture (1767-1835)
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
infinities
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
magicaladjectiveUS /ˈmædʒɪkəl/
possessing or using or characteristic of or appropriate to supernatural powers
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to the magical sunset hour.
mattedadjective
tangled in a dense mass
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
mirroredadjectiveUS /ˈmɪrərd/
like or characteristic of a mirror image
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
nearbyadjectiveUS /ˈnɪrˈbaɪ/
close at hand
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
reflectingadjectiveUS /rɪˈflektɪŋ/
causing reflection or having a device that reflects
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
rimnounUS /rɪm/
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
sagenounUS /seɪdʒ/
a mentor in spiritual and philosophical topics who is renowned for profound wisdom
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
SierranounUS /siˈerə/
a range of mountains (usually with jagged peaks and irregular outline)
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
in or characteristic of a region of the United States south of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
not in physical motion
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
stonyadjectiveUS /ˈstoʊni/
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
sunkadjectiveUS /sʌŋk/
doomed to extinction
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to the magical sunset hour.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before them the sage reached out to dim infinities of distance.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The afternoon was drawing to the magical sunset hour.
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 Behind them the still, heavy reach of water stretched, reflecting in mirrored clearness the mountains crowding on its southern rim.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They were camped on the edges of that harsh land which lay between the Great Salt Lake and the Sierra.
willownounUS /ˈwɪloʊ/
any of numerous deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Humboldt ran nearby, sunk in a stony bed, its banks matted with growths of alder and willow.
