used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
(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 All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
in addition
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
beltnounUS /belt/
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
brackennounUS /ˈbrækən/
fern of southeastern Asia; not hardy in cold temperate regions
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
clumpsnounUS /klʌmps/
plural of “clump” — a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
collectingnounUS /kəˈlektɪŋ/
the act of gathering something together
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
conesnounUS /koʊnz/
plural of “cone” — any cone-shaped artifact
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
distancesnounUS /ˈdɪstənsəz/
plural of “distance” — the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
put on clothes
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
apart from; not including
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
fir-cones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
a group of persons together in one place
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
gorsenoun
very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
heathernounUS /ˈheðər/
common Old World heath represented by many varieties; low evergreen grown widely in the northern hemisphere
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
illimitableadjective
without limits in extent or size or quantity
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
Julia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
occasionaladjectiveUS /əˈkeɪʒənəl/
occurring from time to time
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
paler
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
pine-trees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
hitting a golf ball that is on the green using a putter
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
rarelyadverbUS /ˈrerli/
not often
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
remoteadjectiveUS /rɪˈmoʊt/
located far away spatially
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
sacknounUS /sæk/
a bag made of paper or plastic for holding customer's purchases
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
soberadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊbər/
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
not in physical motion
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Julia stood on the edge of this belt now, gathering the dropped cones and putting them into a sack.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
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 These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
unbrokenadjectiveUS /ənˈbroʊkən/
marked by continuous or uninterrupted extension in space or time or sequence
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
precisely as stated
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SIMPLE LIFE Julia was collecting fir-cones.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
windingadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading These were not scattered but grew in clumps, miles apart, though looking near in this place of distances, and also in a belt not more than five or six trees wide, winding mile after mile like a black band over the plain.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading All around her the land lay brown and still; dead heather, and sometimes dead bracken, a shade paler, and, more rarely, gorse bushes, nearly brown, too, in their sober winter dress.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading It was almost flat, a wonderful illimitable place, very remote, very silent, unbroken except for occasional pine-trees.
