used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
distinctadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɪŋkt/
(often followed by “from”) not alike; different in nature or quality
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
put on clothes
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
FlocknounUS /flɑːk/
a church congregation guided by a pastor
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
moving swiftly
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
gesturesnounUS /ˈdʒestʃərz/
plural of “gesture” — motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
plural of “idea” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
in-the-air-to-day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
instinctivelyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈstɪŋktɪvliː/
as a matter of instinct
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
and nothing more
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
raysnounUS /reɪz/
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
the context and environment in which something is set
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
showernounUS /ˈʃaʊər/
a plumbing fixture that sprays water over you
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
the display of a motion picture
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
marked by correspondence or resemblance
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Feeling his attention drawn, he turned and raised his eyes to her.
under-plumage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked like a bird showing its under-plumage.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And then, suddenly, he did look up.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
precisely as stated
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
past form of “wave” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He waved his hand in return, instinctively making gestures similar to her own, and as he did so, a Flock of Ideas flew down upon him like a shower of leaves--nothing very distinct and sharp, but just loose, flying ideas that were in-the-air-to-day.
a Caucasian
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading The rays of the setting sun fell on her dress of white and yellow.
