used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
barredadjectiveUS /bɑːrd/
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
a geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
cross-roads
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
the first light of day
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
DwarfnounUS /dwɔːrf/
in traditional stories, a small humanlike being with magical qualities
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
set up or found
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
grilledadjectiveUS /ɡrɪld/
cooked by radiant heat (as over a grill)
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
headedadjectiveUS /ˈhedəd/
having a heading or course in a certain direction
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
mossnounUS /mɔːs/
tiny leafy-stemmed flowerless plants
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
oakenadjective
consisting of or made of wood of the oak tree
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
overtookverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈtʊk/
inflected form of “overtake” — catch up with and possibly overtake
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
panelsnounUS /ˈpænəlz/
plural of “panel” — sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
ribbonnounUS /ˈrɪbən/
any long object resembling a thin line
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
put, fix, force, or implant
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
plural of “stone” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading We stood and waited.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no one about, so with a bit of a stick which I had found, I knocked on the panels of the heavy oaken door.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
up to a particular time
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading We stood and waited.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
at the time that
From this reading It was close on to midnight when we left the Dwarf and his cave.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
a Caucasian
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
in the company of; together with
From this reading We reached the inn at the cross-roads in less than an hour—an old stone house covered with moss and windows grilled and barred.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading We headed for the south, at first over rocks and stones and through the depths of the woods; then we came upon a white ribbon of a road, which we followed till the dawn overtook us.
