used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For hours she tossed about, listening.
anew
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
Auban
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
autumnaladjectiveUS /ɔːˈtʌmnəl/
of or characteristic of or occurring in autumn
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
confined by bonds
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Infrequently, sounds came to her ears.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading Infrequently, sounds came to her ears.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For hours she tossed about, listening.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Infrequently, sounds came to her ears.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading For hours she tossed about, listening.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
InfrequentlyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈfriːkwəntli/
not many times
From this reading Infrequently, sounds came to her ears.
Josephine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading For hours she tossed about, listening.
migrationnounUS /maɪˈɡreɪʃən/
the movement of persons from one country or locality to another
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
negroesnounUS /ˈniːɡroʊz/
plural of “negro” — a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
night-faring
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
plural of “note” — a brief written record
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
on one occasion
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
resounded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For hours she tossed about, listening.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Infrequently, sounds came to her ears.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
St
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NIGHT That night, Josephine St. Auban did not sleep.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Infrequently, sounds came to her ears.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading For hours she tossed about, listening.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading Once in a while a distant step resounded in the great building, or again there came the distant voices of the negroes singing in their quarters beyond.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Through the window came now and again faint notes of night-faring birds, south bound on their autumnal migration.
