used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
gotten under control
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
cownounUS /kaʊ/
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
plural of “fellow” — a boy or man
From this reading He fired, and the cow, turning away from her fellows, stood.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading Tom jumped off and finished her.
firedadjectiveUS /ˈfaɪərd/
having lost your job
From this reading He fired, and the cow, turning away from her fellows, stood.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
giraffesnounUS /dʒərˈæfs/
plural of “giraffe” — tallest living quadruped; having a spotted coat and small horns and very long neck and legs; of savannahs of tropical Africa
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He fired, and the cow, turning away from her fellows, stood.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
ten 10s
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Tom jumped off and finished her.
leaptverbUS /lept/
inflected form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
most important element
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Tom jumped off and finished her.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
an organization to gain political power
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
ponynounUS /ˈpoʊniː/
a range horse of the western United States
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
one of four equal parts
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
reekingadjectiveUS /ˈriːkɪŋ/
wet with secreted or exuded moisture such as sweat or tears
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
the sport of sitting on the back of a horse while controlling its movements
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
steal goods; take as spoils
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
precisely, exactly
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
cut with a saw
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He fired, and the cow, turning away from her fellows, stood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
male cat
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
troopnounUS /truːp/
a group of soldiers
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading He fired, and the cow, turning away from her fellows, stood.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A quarter of a mile away on the left he saw Tom and his father riding close up to the rear of the main troop, which now contained about twelve giraffes.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Guy leapt from his reeking pony and, wild with excitement, turned to wave his rifle to the rest of the party.
plural of “yard” — 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 In a matter of a hundred yards Tom was right up behind a big cow.
