used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About the first of the year the weather softened.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
completely unclothed
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
a long seat for more than one person
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
brewin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Storm brewin'!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
cuttingnounUS /ˈkʌtɪŋ/
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading About the first of the year the weather softened.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
jackknife-carved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
knivesnounUS /naɪvz/
plural of “knife” — edge tool used as a cutting instrument; has a pointed blade with a sharp edge and a handle
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
held or filled or in use
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading About the first of the year the weather softened.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
possessors
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
prophesiedverbUS /ˈprɑːfəsaɪd/
inflected form of “prophesy” — predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
Silas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
softenedadjectiveUS /ˈsɔːfənd/
toned down
From this reading About the first of the year the weather softened.
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
not in physical motion
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading "Storm brewin'!
stovenounUS /stoʊv/
a kitchen appliance used for cooking food
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
possessing sweep
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WRECK.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
Trefethen's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
village-throne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading About the first of the year the weather softened.
belonging to which person
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Snow still kept away, but winter winds had come, and they swept over the bare ground, cutting like knives.
accumulated knowledge or erudition or enlightenment
From this reading The old gray heads, whose possessors occupied that village-throne of wisdom, the jackknife-carved bench by Silas Trefethen's stove, prophesied "a spell of weather."
WRECKnounUS /rek/
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading THE WRECK.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading About the first of the year the weather softened.
