used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
backingnounUS /ˈbækɪŋ/
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
bitingadjectiveUS /ˈbaɪtɪŋ/
capable of wounding
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
chillyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪli/
not characterized by emotion
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
covenounUS /koʊv/
a small inlet
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
forestsnounUS /ˈfɔːrəsts/
plural of “forest” — the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
fringenounUS /frɪndʒ/
the outside boundary or surface of something
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
hillsidenounUS /ˈhɪlsaɪd/
the side or slope of a hill
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
plural of “hundred” — ten 10s
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
inspectionnounUS /ˌɪnˈspekʃən/
a formal or official examination
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
ledgenounUS /ledʒ/
a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
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 were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
the force of workers available
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
northernadjectiveUS /ˈnɔːrðərn/
in or characteristic of a region of the United States north of (approximately) the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
-ing form of “rest” — not move; be in a resting position
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
a period of the year marked by special events or activities in some field
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
shelteredadjectiveUS /ˈʃeltərd/
protected from danger or bad weather
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
significantadjectiveUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/
important in effect or meaning
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
having a supporting base
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
STREAKnounUS /striːk/
an unbroken series of events
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
timbernounUS /ˈtɪmbər/
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
trampnounUS /træmp/
a vagrant
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
virginnounUS /ˈvɜːrdʒɪn/
a person who has never had sex
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were resting after a long tramp of inspection through the virgin forests.
in or at the place that
From this reading It was on a ledge, high up on the hillside of the northern shore of the cove, where the ground dropped away in front of them several hundreds of feet to the waters below.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
whippedverbUS /wɪpt/
inflected form of “whip” — beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Behind them was a backing of standing timber which sheltered them from the full force of the biting wind.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading A chilly breeze whipped about the faces of the men at the fringe of the woods.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading THE "YELLOW STREAK" The grey, evening light was significant of the passing season.
