used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
ascentnounUS /əˈsent/
an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
bunchnounUS /bʌntʃ/
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
creeknounUS /kriːk/
a natural stream of water smaller than a river (and often a tributary of a river)
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
dismounted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stiffly the girl dismounted.
divideverbUS /dɪˈvaɪd/
separate into parts or portions
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
fainteradjectiveUS /ˈfeɪntər/
comparative of “faint” — deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
past form of “gaze” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
a young female
From this reading Stiffly the girl dismounted.
goredverbUS /ɡɔːrd/
past form of “gore” — wound by piercing with a sharp or penetrating object or instrument
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
habitationnounUS /ˌhæbəˈteɪʃən/
the native habitat or home of an animal or plant
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Her horse lowered his head and snipped at the bunch grass.
helplesslyadverbUS /ˈhelpləsli/
in a helpless manner
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Her horse lowered his head and snipped at the bunch grass.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/
characteristic of humanity
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
loweredadjectiveUS /ˈloʊərd/
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading Her horse lowered his head and snipped at the bunch grass.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
PattynounUS /ˈpæti/
small flat mass of chopped food
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
reinedverbUS /reɪnd/
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
scannedverbUS /skænd/
inflected form of “scan” — examine minutely or intensely
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
SinclairnounUS /sɪnˈkler/
United States writer whose novels argued for social reform (1878-1968)
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
slantedadjectiveUS /ˈslæntɪd/
having an oblique or slanted direction
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
slopesnounUS /sloʊps/
plural of “slope” — an elevated geological formation
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
snipped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her horse lowered his head and snipped at the bunch grass.
steeplyadverbUS /ˈstiːpli/
in a steep manner
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
StifflyadverbUS /ˈstɪfli/
in a stiff manner
From this reading Stiffly the girl dismounted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
timberedadjective
furnished with or made of wood or timbers
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
the upper part of anything
From this reading Patty Sinclair reined in her horse at the top of a low divide and gazed helplessly around her.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading In vain she scanned the deeply gored valley that lay before her and the timbered slopes of the mountains for sign of human habitation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The trail that had grown fainter and fainter with its ascent of the creek bed disappeared entirely at the slope of loose rock and bunch grass that slanted steeply to the divide.
