used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
chokingadjectiveUS /ˈtʃoʊ.kɪŋ/
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
couchnounUS /kaʊtʃ/
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
coughedverbUS /kɔːft/
past form of “cough” — exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
a flow of electricity through a conductor
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
a movement into or inward
From this reading The transition back was far worse than entering the water.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The transition back was far worse than entering the water.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
set up or found
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
gaspingverbUS /ˈɡæspɪŋ/
-ing form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
ignitedadjectiveUS /ˌɪɡˈnaɪtɪd/
set afire
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
lungsnounUS /lʌŋz/
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
molluscs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
a particular point in time
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
Nona
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/
breathing heavily (as after exertion)
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
a course of conduct
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
with speed
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
removeverbUS /riˈmuːv/
remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
replaceverbUS /ˌriːˈpleɪs/
substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
residualadjectiveUS /rɪˈzɪdʒuːəl/
relating to or indicating a remainder
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
rubbedverbUS /rʌbd/
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
shallowadjectiveUS /ˈʃæloʊ/
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
slopingadjectiveUS /ˈsloʊpɪŋ/
having an oblique or slanted direction
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
struggledverbUS /ˈstrʌɡəld/
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
engaged in a struggle to overcome especially poverty or obscurity
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
sulphurous-looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The transition back was far worse than entering the water.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
transitionnounUS /trænˈzɪʃən/
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading The transition back was far worse than entering the water.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The transition back was far worse than entering the water.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We found our molluscs and struggled back up the sloping path to shallow water.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The two stones which she rubbed together ignited in a moment—a slow, sulphurous-looking flame with a little smoke which the slight current of air through the cave carried away.
which person or people
From this reading Nona, who quite evidently had done it several times before, recovered more quickly than I. As I lay panting and choking upon our couch, she made up a fire.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On the bank I lay and coughed, gasping and struggling to remove the residual water from my lungs and replace it with air.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading The transition back was far worse than entering the water.
