used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
afaradverbUS /əˈfɑːr/
(old-fashioned) at or from or to a great distance; far
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She unsaddled, and turned Pronto loose in the pasture.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
blacknessnounUS /ˈblæknəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
ColumbinenounUS /ˈkɑːləmbaɪn/
a plant of the genus Aquilegia having irregular showy spurred flowers; north temperate regions especially mountains
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
cowboysnounUS /ˈkaʊbɔɪz/
plural of “cowboy” — a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
an established custom
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
past form of “hope” — expect and wish
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
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 windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading She unsaddled, and turned Pronto loose in the pasture.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
mantlenounUS /ˈmæntəl/
the cloak as a symbol of authority
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
not any; not one
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
pasturenounUS /ˈpæstʃər/
a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock
From this reading She unsaddled, and turned Pronto loose in the pasture.
ProntoadverbUS /ˈprɑːntoʊ/
in a punctual manner
From this reading She unsaddled, and turned Pronto loose in the pasture.
ranch-house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
on the contrary
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
raysnounUS /reɪz/
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
round-up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
the act of causing something to go (especially messages)
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
squaresnounUS /skwerz/
plural of “square” — (geometry) a plane rectangle with four equal sides and four right angles; a four-sided regular polygon
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
carry out
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She unsaddled, and turned Pronto loose in the pasture.
unsaddledadjective
with no saddle
From this reading She unsaddled, and turned Pronto loose in the pasture.
employed in accomplishing something
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Darkness settled down like a black mantle over the valley.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
WilsonnounUS /ˈwɪlsən/
author of the first novel by an African American that was published in the United States (1808-1870)
From this reading Columbine rather hoped to find Wilson waiting to take care of her horse, as used to be his habit, but she was disappointed.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading The windows of the long, low ranch-house were bright squares in the blackness, sending cheerful rays afar.
but in spite of that
From this reading No light showed from the cabin in which the cowboys lived; he had not yet come in from the round-up.
