used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
Black-headed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
burstingverbUS /ˈbɜːrstɪŋ/
-ing form of “burst” — come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
Carcajounoun
stocky shaggy-coated North American carnivorous mammal
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
chickadees
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
disappearingnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrɪŋ/
the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
frondsnounUS /frɑːndz/
plural of “frond” — compound leaf of a fern or palm or cycad
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
geesenounUS /ɡiːs/
plural of “goose” — web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
lakesnounUS /leɪks/
plural of “lake” — a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
immediately past
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
leafnounUS /liːf/
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
meltedadjectiveUS /ˈmeltəd/
changed from a solid to a liquid state
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
packsnounUS /pæks/
plural of “pack” — a large indefinite number
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
patchesnounUS /ˈpætʃəz/
plural of “patch” — a small contrasting part of something
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
pilesnounUS /paɪlz/
venous swelling external or internal to the anal sphincter
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
protectingadjectiveUS /prəˈtektɪŋ/
shielding (or designed to shield) against harm or discomfort
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
ScornedadjectiveUS /skɔːrnd/
treated with dislike or contempt
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
shatteredadjectiveUS /ˈʃætərd/
ruined or disrupted
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
shoalsnounUS /ʃoʊlz/
plural of “shoal” — a sandbank in a stretch of water that is visible at low tide
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
shoresnounUS /ʃɔːrz/
plural of “shore” — the land along the edge of a body of water
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
the season of growth
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
not in physical motion
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
sufficeverbUS /səˈfaɪs/
be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading From the surface of the lakes the heavy ice had melted and broken, and still lay in shattered piles on the lee shores.
swallowsnounUS /ˈswɑːloʊz/
plural of “swallow” — a small amount of liquid food
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
toolsnounUS /tuːlz/
plural of “tool” — an implement used in the practice of a vocation
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
wedgesnounUS /ˈwedʒəz/
plural of “wedge” — any shape that is triangular in cross section
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
weedyadjectiveUS /ˈwiːdi/
abounding with or resembling weeds
From this reading Black-headed chickadees, a robin or two, and finally swallows had appeared, following the wedges of geese returning from the south on their way to the great weedy shoals of James' Bay.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The last patches of snow were disappearing from under the protecting fronds of trees bursting into new leaf.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The young man had brought with him a couple of heavy packs and some tools, but this did not suffice.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The Woman Scorned To the village of Carcajou came a young man in the spring.
