used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
adoptverbUS /əˈdɑːpt/
choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
(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 Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
drouthnoun
a prolonged shortage
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
dwarfedverbUS /dwɔːrft/
past form of “dwarf” — make appear small by comparison
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
apart from; not including
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
accept an excuse for
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
farmersnounUS /ˈfɑːrmərz/
plural of “farmer” — a person who operates a farm
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
horse-thieves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
inconveniencenounUS /ˌɪnkənˈviːnjəns/
an inconvenient discomfort
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
JulynounUS /ˌdʒuːˈlaɪ/
the month following June and preceding August
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
the month following May and preceding July
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
languidadjectiveUS /ˈlæŋɡwəd/
lacking spirit or liveliness
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
menacedverbUS /ˈmenəst/
past form of “menace” — pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
not any; not one
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
perplexedadjectiveUS /pərˈplekst/
full of difficulty or confusion or bewilderment
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
in a serious manner
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
settlersnounUS /ˈsetlərz/
plural of “settler” — a person who settles in a new colony or moves into new country
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
springsnounUS /sprɪŋz/
plural of “spring” — the season of growth
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
unusuallyadverbUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəli/
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/
plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
warmestadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːrməst/
superlative of “warm” — having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Nearly all the springs were dry, and a drouth menaced the farmers.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The weather gave Helen an excuse which she was not slow to adopt.
in the company of; together with
From this reading June passed; July opened with unusually warm weather, and Fort Henry had no visits from Indians or horse-thieves, nor any inconvenience except the hot sun.
worriedadjectiveUS /ˈwɜːrid/
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading Her pale face and languid air perplexed and worried her father and her friends.
a late time of life
From this reading It was the warmest weather for many years, and seriously dwarfed the settlers' growing corn.
