used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
AngusnounUS /ˈæŋɡəs/
Celtic god of love and beauty; patron deity of young men and women
From this reading Angus had seen little of Faith Winton.
barenessnoun
a bleak and desolate atmosphere
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
benchlands
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
brigadesnounUS /brɪˈɡeɪdz/
plural of “brigade” — army unit smaller than a division
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
CRISISnounUS /ˈkraɪsəs/
an unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
deciduousadjectiveUS /ˌdɪˈsɪdʒuːəs/
(of plants and shrubs) shedding foliage at the end of the growing season
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
dullyadverb
without liveliness
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Angus had seen little of Faith Winton.
firsnounUS /fɜːrz/
plural of “fir” — nonresinous wood of a fir tree
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
flanksnounUS /flæŋks/
plural of “flank” — the side of military or naval formation
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
frost-burnt
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
frozeverbUS /froʊz/
inflected form of “freeze” — stop moving or become immobilized
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
geesenounUS /ɡiːs/
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
the act of departing
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
grassesnounUS /ˈɡræsəz/
plural of “grass” — narrow-leaved green herbage: grown as lawns; used as pasture for grazing animals; cut and dried as hay
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Angus had seen little of Faith Winton.
hardenedadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrdənd/
used of persons; emotionally hardened
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
hollowlyadverb
in a hollow manner
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
hoofsnounUS /hʊfs/
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
lakesnounUS /leɪks/
plural of “lake” — a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
immediately past
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Angus had seen little of Faith Winton.
not any; not one
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
rangesnounUS /ˈreɪndʒəz/
plural of “range” — an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
relieveverbUS /rɪˈliːv/
provide physical relief, as from pain
From this reading On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
ringingnounUS /ˈrɪŋɪŋ/
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
rumblingnounUS /ˈrʌmbəlɪŋ/
a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Angus had seen little of Faith Winton.
sloughsnounUS /slʌfs/
plural of “slough” — necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
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 On the benchlands there was nothing to relieve the dark gloom of the firs, the bareness of the deciduous trees, the frost-burnt dead of the grasses.
valleysnounUS /ˈvæliz/
plural of “valley” — a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading The sloughs and lakes froze, and the ground hardened to iron, ringing hollowly beneath hoofs, rumbling dully to wagon wheels.
a Caucasian
From this reading It was cold, but there was no snow in the valleys, though it lay white well down the flanks of the ranges.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
Winton
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Angus had seen little of Faith Winton.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A CRISIS Winter came with the going of the last brigades of the geese.
