used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
barelyadverbUS /ˈberli/
only a very short time before
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
terminate
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
definedadjectiveUS /dɪˈfaɪnd/
clearly characterized or delimited
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
DEVIL'SnounUS /ˈdevəlz/
possessive form of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
drab-colored
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
dusknounUS /dʌsk/
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
ten 10s
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
inanimateadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnænəmət/
belonging to the class of nouns denoting nonliving things
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
landscapenounUS /ˈlændskeɪp/
an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
monotonousadjectiveUS /məˈnɑːtənəs/
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
mountainsidenounUS /ˈmaʊntənsaɪd/
the side or slope of a mountain
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
Ninety-nineadjective
being one less than one hundred and nine more than ninety
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
being perceived or observed
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
panoramanounUS /ˌpænərˈæmə/
the visual percept of a region
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
go across or through
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
an elevated geological formation
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
snowyadjectiveUS /ˈsnoʊi/
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
specknounUS /spek/
a very small spot
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
sweepverbUS /swiːp/
sweep across or over
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But on that evening, a little before the fall of dusk, there rode by chance, from out of the pass and over the trail, the one man of a hundred.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading AUTHOR OF THE TRAIL FROM DEVIL'S COUNTRY.
travelersnounUS /ˈtrævələrz/
plural of “traveler” — a person who changes location
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Near the foot of the valley slope lay an inanimate, drab-colored object of some sort, barely defined against the smooth sweep of the snowy mountainside.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
a Caucasian
From this reading Ninety-nine travelers in a hundred might have passed that direction and never noticed any break in the monotonous waste of white.
wintryadjectiveUS /ˈwɪntri/
characteristic of or occurring in winter
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
woodedadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdɪd/
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading From the wooded ridge above, it appeared as a faint speck upon the panorama of wintry landscape.
