used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
matters of personal concern
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
(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 It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
beholders
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
buildingsnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋz/
plural of “building” — a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
canvasnounUS /ˈkænvəs/
a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
cheapadjectiveUS /tʃiːp/
relatively low in price or charging low prices
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
crystallizingnounUS /ˈkrɪstəlaɪzɪŋ/
the formation of crystals
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
opinion or judgment
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
flimsyadjectiveUS /ˈflɪmzi/
lacking solidity or strength
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
Goldite
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
(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 A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
heterogeneousadjectiveUS /ˌhetərəˈdʒiːnjəs/
consisting of elements that are not of the same kind or nature
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
incompletenessnoun
the state of being crude and incomplete and imperfect
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
issuedverbUS /ˈɪʃuːd/
past form of “issue” — prepare and issue for public distribution or sale
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
miningnounUS /ˈmaɪnɪŋ/
the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
mixturenounUS /ˈmɪkstʃər/
(chemistry) a substance consisting of two or more substances mixed together (not in fixed proportions and not with chemical bonding)
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
modernitynounUS /mɑːˈdɜːrnəti/
the quality of being current or of the present
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
a daily or weekly publication on folded sheets; contains news and articles and advertisements
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
not any; not one
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
on one occasion
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
positivelyadverbUS /ˈpɑːzətɪvli/
extremely
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
past form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
spectaclenounUS /ˈspektəkəl/
something or someone seen (especially a notable or unusual sight)
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
structuresnounUS /ˈstrʌktʃərz/
plural of “structure” — a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
strungadjectiveUS /strʌŋ/
that is on a string
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
telegraphnounUS /ˈteləɡræf/
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
tentsnounUS /tents/
plural of “tent” — a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
toadstools
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a mining camp positively crystallizing into being before the very eyes of all beholders.
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 It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading It had no fair supply of water, but it did have a newspaper, issued once a week.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A dozen new buildings, flimsy, cheap affairs, were growing like toadstools, day and night.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
wiresnounUS /ˈwaɪərz/
plural of “wire” — ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading PROGRESS AND SALT Goldite, by the light of day, presented a wonderful spectacle.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading It was nearly all tents and canvas structures--a heterogeneous mixture of incompleteness and modernity to which the telegraph wires had already been strung from the outside world.
