A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink. The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth. Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky. But this year had brought something new. A track now led across the desert.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “A track now led across the desert.”
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.”
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “But this year had brought something new.”
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading “The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.”
from a time in the past until now
From this reading “Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.”
a thing, without saying which
From this reading “But this year had brought something new.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.”
a route or signs showing the way someone went
From this reading “A track now led across the desert.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading A track now led across the desert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading But this year had brought something new.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this year had brought something new.
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A track now led across the desert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A track now led across the desert.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this year had brought something new.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A track now led across the desert.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading But this year had brought something new.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this year had brought something new.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus it had been since in remote ages the last drop of the inland sea had risen into a brazen sky.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
a route or signs showing the way someone went
From this reading A track now led across the desert.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The time was 1850, the place that long, soft, hot dry stretch of blasted desolation known as the Humboldt Sink.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun stared, the heat rose in waves, the mirage shimmered, the dust devils of choking alkali whirled aloft or sank in suffocation on the hot earth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this year had brought something new.
