used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
at or in the front
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
(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 With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
buoyantlyadverb
in a cheerfully buoyant manner
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
ColumbianounUS /kəˈlʌmbiə/
a North American river; rises in southwestern Canada and flows southward across Washington to form the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific; known for its salmon runs in the spring
From this reading At last they had found the Columbia!
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
floatverbUS /floʊt/
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
set up or found
From this reading At last they had found the Columbia!
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
granderadjectiveUS /ˈɡrændər/
comparative of “grand” — of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
laboringadjectiveUS /ˈleɪbərɪŋ/
doing arduous or unpleasant work
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
immediately past
From this reading At last they had found the Columbia!
in the recent past
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
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 They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
the force of workers available
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/
impressive in appearance
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
reignedverbUS /reɪnd/
past form of “reign” — have sovereign power
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
cut with a saw
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
SnakenounUS /sneɪk/
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They could float easily down the strong current of the great Snake River, laboring but little, if at all.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
TRAIL'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
in or at the place that
From this reading TRAIL'S END Where lately had been gloom and despair there now reigned joy and confidence.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With the great mountains behind them, and this new, pleasant and gentle land all around them, the spirits of the men rose buoyantly.
but in spite of that
From this reading They made long hours every day, and by the middle of autumn they saw ahead of them a yet grander flood than that of the noble river which was bearing them.
