used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
anew
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
(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 THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
have
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading Roger led, Peter followed and Charley brought up in the rear.
bugsnounUS /bʌɡz/
plural of “bug” — general term for any insect or similar creeping or crawling invertebrate
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
cactusnounUS /ˈkæktəs/
any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
canyonnounUS /ˈkænjən/
a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
taking care or paying attention
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
Charley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
clumpnounUS /klʌmp/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
the first light of day
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
DIVIDEverbUS /dɪˈvaɪd/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
divisible by two
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
apart from; not including
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
Felicia'snounUS /fəˈliːʃəz/
possessive form of “felicia” — genus of tropical African herbs or subshrubs with usually blue flowers
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
flashingnounUS /ˈflæʃɪŋ/
a short vivid experience
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Roger led, Peter followed and Charley brought up in the rear.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
set up or found
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Roger led, Peter followed and Charley brought up in the rear.
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
irregularadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈreɡjələr/
contrary to rule or accepted order or general practice
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
immediately past
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Roger led, Peter followed and Charley brought up in the rear.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
mesquitenounUS /ˈmeskiːt/
any of several small spiny trees or shrubs of the genus Prosopis having small flowers in axillary cylindrical spikes followed by large pods rich in sugar
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
moltenadjectiveUS /ˈmoʊltən/
reduced to liquid form by heating
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
arrange in a container
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading Roger led, Peter followed and Charley brought up in the rear.
replaceverbUS /ˌriːˈpleɪs/
substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
Roger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
the season of growth
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
stifflyadverbUS /ˈstɪfli/
in a stiff manner
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE GREAT DIVIDE The moon appeared at last and suddenly all the desert lay before them like molten silver.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
very small
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They rose, stiffly, and Charley helped Roger to replace the little pack on Peter.
toiledverbUS /tɔɪld/
past form of “toil” — work hard
From this reading For hours, they toiled slowly up into the range, flashing their "bugs" into the shadows, stopping now and again to go over rock heap or cactus clump carefully, then on again, neither of them speaking, even to Peter, except to call at irregular intervals Felicia's name.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Roger led, Peter followed and Charley brought up in the rear.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Dawn found them high in the range, in a little canyon, sweet with a tiny spring about which grew mesquite and bear grass.
