used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
authenticadjectiveUS /əˈθentɪk/
conforming to fact and therefore worthy of belief
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading My eyes seemed drawn to it, then I saw it move.
divisible by two
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
opinion or judgment
From this reading My eyes seemed drawn to it, then I saw it move.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
isolationnounUS /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/
a state of separation between persons or groups
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
lonelinessnounUS /ˈloʊnlinəs/
the state of being alone in solitary isolation
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading My eyes seemed drawn to it, then I saw it move.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My eyes seemed drawn to it, then I saw it move.
not any; not one
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
patchnounUS /pætʃ/
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
cut with a saw
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading My eyes seemed drawn to it, then I saw it move.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
vacantadjectiveUS /ˈveɪkənt/
void of intelligence or thought
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It seemed to me as I sat there I could hear strange voices in the vacant houses.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the wind no doubt, but the loneliness of the situation made them authentic.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading THE STRANGE COUNTRY There is a chill isolation about a high wind in the desert, even though the wind be warm.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading As I watched in the darkness of the court yard, I saw a grey patch against the opposite wall.
