used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
(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 Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
bird-notes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
blindingadjectiveUS /ˈblaɪndɪŋ/
shining intensely
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
uttered without voice
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
to a great depth psychologically or emotionally
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
greatly pleased
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
fragrancenounUS /ˈfreɪɡrəns/
a distinctive odor that is pleasant
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
hazyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪzi/
filled or abounding with fog or mist
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
lappingnounUS /ˈlæpɪŋ/
covering with a design in which one element covers a part of another (as with tiles or shingles)
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
leisurelyadverbUS /ˈliːzərli/
in an unhurried way or at one's convenience
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
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 Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
murmurousadjective
characterized by soft sounds
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
on one occasion
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
radiancenounUS /ˈreɪdiːəns/
the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading The sunset faced him in a blinding, hazy radiance.
terracesnounUS /ˈterəsəz/
plural of “terrace” — usually paved outdoor area adjoining a residence
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
the upper part of anything
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
in the direction of
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
turfnounUS /tɜːrf/
surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
two times
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
undisturbedadjectiveUS /ˌʌndɪˈstɜːrbd/
untroubled by interference or disturbance
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
VersaillesnounUS /verˈsaɪ/
a city in north central France near Paris; site of the Palace of Versailles that was built by Louis XIV in the 17th century
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
relating to or characteristic of the western parts of the world or the West as opposed to the eastern or oriental parts
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
a Caucasian
From this reading At the top of the little flight of white steps he paused.
a movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
From this reading Distant Versailles He walked, quite leisurely, over the turf beside the house, past the western wing, towards the terraces that led into the garden.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Once or twice he breathed, long and deeply, delighted with the pure fragrance of the air.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Silence, perfect, lonely, was all about, undisturbed by the bird-notes from the woods, or the murmurous lapping of the river along its bank.
