Chapter XII

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

anew

From this reading "Ye shall be born again."

Having no one else present.

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

an upper floor projecting from the rear over the main floor in an auditorium

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Ye shall be born again."

relevant relation or interconnection

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

the qualities that give pleasure to the senses

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

a town in northwestern Washington on a bay near the Canadian border

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

of or pertaining to or contained in or in accordance with the Bible

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

brought into existence

From this reading "Ye shall be born again."

that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

to or in any or all places

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

a formation of aircraft in flight

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

a distinctive odor that is pleasant

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

(computer science) a single execution of a set of instructions that are to be repeated

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

Old World vine with lobed evergreen leaves and black berrylike fruits

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

covered with beads or jewels or sequins

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

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 old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

softly bright or radiant

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

make or become more narrow or restricted

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

belonging to or active during the night

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

an expression consisting of one or more words forming a grammatical constituent of a sentence

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

plural of “pine” — a coniferous tree

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The old Biblical phrase, long forgotten, echoed and re-echoed in his mind.

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "Ye shall be born again."

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

-ing form of “slumber” — be asleep

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

Magnificent and splendid appearance; grandeur and brilliance.

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

resistant to change of position or condition

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

corresponding exactly

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The Flight of Bellingham On the narrow balcony outside his room Atherton sat alone in the darkness, looking forth upon the splendor of the night.

a silky densely piled fabric with a plain back

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Beauty everywhere, on earth and in sky; beauty, it seemed to Atherton, in perfect unison with the thoughts which filled his brain.

during the time that

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

plural of “whippoorwill” — American nocturnal goatsucker with grey-and-white plumage

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

land that is covered with trees and shrubs

From this reading Above him stretched the velvet blackness of the heavens, jewelled with bright and luminous stars; from the distant woodland sounded, in ceaseless iteration, the music of the whippoorwills; while from the meadows the south wind, bearing the fragrance of the fields, stirred the ivy on the stable walls and murmured nocturnal melody among the branches of the slumbering pines.

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading "Ye shall be born again."