Chapter XV

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

anew

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

past form of “alternate” — go back and forth; swing back and forth between two states or conditions

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

past form of “blunder” — commit a faux pas or a fault or make a serious mistake

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

cause to slow down or get stuck

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

made coarse or crude by lack of skill

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

rock fragments and pebbles

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

situated away from an area's coast or border

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

too numerous to be counted

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

move forward by leaps and bounds

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

not compact or dense in structure or arrangement

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

become covered with mist

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

precisely, exactly

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

done under pressure

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

a loose material consisting of grains of rock or coral

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

past form of “slacken” — become slow or slower

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading He groped inland through the fog in search of a better roadway, blundered into a bog of innumerable little rivulets, and got back to the beach again.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

under the feet

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

not expected or anticipated

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

having or as if having a veil or concealing cover

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

a vivid mental image

From this reading AN UNEXPECTED VISION By degrees the rain slackened down to a fine Scotch mist.

lacking any legal or binding force

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.

walk (through relatively shallow water)

From this reading Every few minutes, it seemed, he had to wade or jump a creek that rushed down from the hills.

close enough to be walked to

From this reading There was hard sand underfoot, making good walking; then it coarsened to loose gravel, and then alternated from one to the other.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Heavy fog veiled the mountains, and the sea was a vast void at his right hand.