used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
distinguished from Bovidae by the male's having solid deciduous antlers
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
disappearancesnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈpɪrənsɪz/
plural of “disappearance” — the act of leaving secretly or without explanation
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
the act of discovering something
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
harnessedadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːrnəst/
brought under control and put to use
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
herdnounUS /hɜːrd/
a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s a shame!
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
MarianadjectiveUS /ˈmeriən/
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
not able to be found
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
not any; not one
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
PatsynounUS /ˈpætsi/
a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
Identical; not different.
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
a painful emotion resulting from an awareness of inadequacy or guilt
From this reading It’s a shame!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
slednounUS /sled/
a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs; for transportation over snow
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
in the near future
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
startlingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtlɪŋ/
so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/
closely encircling
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That same evening Patsy made her second startling discovery.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
except if; if not
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Strange where they all go,” she murmured as she climbed a hill for a better view of the surrounding country.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Marian was right; unless we discover the cause of these disappearances and put an end to them, soon there will be no herd.
yearlingnounUS /ˈjɜːrlɪŋ/
a young child
From this reading An hour before night was to set in, she had harnessed a sled deer and struck out into the hills in search of a brown yearling that had been missing for two days.
