used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
a-fishing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
betokened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
lacking funds
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
cropnounUS /krɑːp/
the yield from plants in a single growing season
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
take in liquids
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
divisible by two
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
fasteradverbUS /ˈfæstər/
more quickly
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
gaitnounUS /ɡeɪt/
the rate of moving (especially walking or running)
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
hazenounUS /heɪz/
atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
and nothing more
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
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 The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
for more time
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
loomedverbUS /luːmd/
past form of “loom” — come into view indistinctly, often threateningly
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
moment'snounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/
possessive form of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
not any; not one
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
plainsnounUS /pleɪnz/
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
RangersnounUS /ˈreɪndʒərz/
plural of “ranger” — a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
the physical magnitude of something (how big it is)
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
carry out
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
TexasnounUS /ˈteksəs/
the second largest state; located in southwestern United States on the Gulf of Mexico
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
not thin; of a specific thickness or of relatively great extent from one surface to the opposite usually in the smallest of the three solid dimensions
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
TrinitynounUS /ˈtrɪnəti/
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading We could distinctly hear the Rangers talking, and their camp was on the other side of Trinity.
two times
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/
up to a particular time
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading We walked our horses until we could no longer hear the Rangers talking, and then put them to a little faster gait.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The moon shone down on us through a thick haze, such as we had seen many a night since our arrival on the prairie, and every little sound that broke the stillness could be heard a long way off.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Everything that approached us on the plains--even the cattle, which, having had a rest after their drink, were beginning to crop the grass--loomed up on us to twice its natural size, and everything betokened rain; but we had seen so many such nights as that in Texas that we never gave it a moment’s thought.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It was just such a night as you would take if you wanted to go a-fishing.
