used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
apexnounUS /ˈeɪpeks/
the highest point (of something)
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
completely unclothed
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
CAVERNnounUS /ˈkæv.ərn/
A large, vast underground cave, often filled with forgotten ancient treasures.
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
without stop or interruption
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/
in a dim indistinct manner
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
one or the other of two
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
explorersnounUS /ɪkˈsplɔːrərz/
plural of “explorer” — someone who travels into little known regions (especially for some scientific purpose)
From this reading The two explorers went in silence.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
footingnounUS /ˈfʊtɪŋ/
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
a young female
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
the act of departing
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
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 light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
limitedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪmətəd/
small in range or scope
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
engage in
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
Margaret
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the use of movements (especially of the hands) to communicate familiar or prearranged signals
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
narrowingnounUS /ˈneroʊɪŋ/
an instance of becoming narrow
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the property possessed by a sum or total or indefinite quantity of units or individuals
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
on one occasion
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
and nothing more
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
penetratedverbUS /ˈpenətreɪtɪd/
past form of “penetrate” — pass into or through, often by overcoming resistance
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
raysnounUS /reɪz/
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
rodsnounUS /rɑːdz/
plural of “rod” — a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
SaxenounUS /sæks/
a French marshal who distinguished himself in the War of the Austrian Succession (1696-1750)
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The two explorers went in silence.
slantverbUS /slænt/
lie obliquely
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The floor lay almost level, smooth enough to make going easy.
torchnounUS /tɔːrtʃ/
a light usually carried in the hand; consists of some flammable substance
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two explorers went in silence.
directed up
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The two explorers went in silence.
at the time that
From this reading The light from the torch showed only walls of bare rock on either side, and once, when Margaret turned the rays upward, the narrowing slant to an apex far above their heads.
belonging to which person
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
widthnounUS /wɪdθ/
the extent of something from side to side
From this reading IN THE CAVERN The passage continued of limited width for a number of rods.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Saxe thought the footing safe enough so that he could content himself with watching the girl, whose every motion was a delight to him, seen dimly in the glow that penetrated from without.
