used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
in the past
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
(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 Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
backsnounUS /bæks/
plural of “back” — the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
BelowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
Catrail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
ditchnounUS /dɪtʃ/
a long narrow excavation in the earth
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Nobody knows who made it, nor why.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
marshnounUS /mɑːrʃ/
low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
the force of workers available
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody knows who made it, nor why.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nobody knows who made it, nor why.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
pinenounUS /paɪn/
a coniferous tree
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
steepadjectiveUS /stiːp/
having a sharp inclination
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
in the direction of
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
TweednounUS /twiːd/
thick woolen fabric used for clothing; originated in Scotland
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
precisely as stated
From this reading It ran all through that country, and must have been made by men very long ago.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
in or at the place that
From this reading Now the dry ditch, where they sat down on the grass, looking towards the Tweed, with their backs to the hill, was called the _Catrail_.
which person or people
From this reading Nobody knows who made it, nor why.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Nobody knows who made it, nor why.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
From this reading THEY had climbed up the slope of a hill, and they came to a broad old ditch, beneath the shade of a wood of pine trees.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Below them was a wide marsh, all yellow with marsh flowers, and above them was a steep slope made of stones.
