used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
anew
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
in addition
From this reading He felt that his mother, also, had been afraid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
awkwardlyadverbUS /ˈɔːkwərdli/
in an awkward manner
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
completely unclothed
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
blurredadjectiveUS /blɜːrd/
indistinct or hazy in outline
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt that his mother, also, had been afraid.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
hatsnounUS /hæts/
plural of “hat” — headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He felt that his mother, also, had been afraid.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
huggedverbUS /hʌɡd/
inflected form of “hug” — hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
hushedadjectiveUS /hʌʃt/
in a softened tone
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
plural of “indian” — a native or inhabitant of India
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
indistinct-the
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
the force of workers available
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading He felt that his mother, also, had been afraid.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
mysteriouslyadverbUS /ˌmɪˈstɪriəsli/
in a cryptic manner
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
picturedadjectiveUS /ˈpɪktʃərd/
seen in the mind as a mental image
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
participate in games or sport
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
except for; apart from
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
shufflingnounUS /ˈʃʌflɪŋ/
walking with a slow dragging motion without lifting your feet
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He felt that his mother, also, had been afraid.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had been afraid of the river and of the bare hills and the Indians.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then they had carried his father as mysteriously away again, and his mother had hugged him close and cried bitterly and long.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
showing sorrow
From this reading There had been a day of hushed voices and much weeping and gloom, and he had been afraid to play.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
at the time that
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
which person or people
From this reading He pictured again--and he picture was blurred and indistinct-the day when strange men had brought his father mysteriously home; men who were silent save for the shuffling of their feet, and who carried their big hats awkwardly in their hands.
