used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
budnounUS /bʌd/
a partially opened flower
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
chirrupnoun
a series of chirps
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
crevicesnounUS /ˈkrevəsɪz/
plural of “crevice” — a long narrow depression in a surface
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
divisible by two
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
fragmentsnounUS /ˈfræɡmənts/
plural of “fragment” — a piece broken off or cut off of something else
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
brought together in one place
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The storm was gone.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
temporary military shelter
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
InsectsnounUS /ˈɪnsekts/
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
immediately past
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
LeonardnounUS /ˈlenərd/
United States writer of thrillers (born in 1925)
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
lilynounUS /ˈlɪli/
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
lizardsnounUS /ˈlɪzərdz/
plural of “lizard” — relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
rain-washed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading The storm was gone.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The daylight grew and gathered about him, the round ball of the sun appeared above the mountains.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
having passed out of existence
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
VIGILnounUS /ˈvɪdʒəl/
a period of sleeplessness
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The storm was gone.
Wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading THE LAST VIGIL For a while Leonard sat by the body of his brother.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Were it not for some broken fragments of the vanished hut, it would have been difficult to know even that it had been.
distant but within sight (“yon” is dialectal)
From this reading Insects began to chirrup, lizards ran from the crevices of the rocks, yonder the rain-washed bud of a mountain lily opened before his eyes.
