used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
cause to be bored
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
placed in a grave
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
chainedadjectiveUS /tʃeɪnd/
bound with chains
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
curs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
divisible by two
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
hamletnounUS /ˈhæmlət/
a community of people smaller than a village
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
hatchetsnounUS /ˈhætʃəts/
plural of “hatchet” — weapon consisting of a fighting ax; used by North American Indians
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
kennelnounUS /ˈkenəl/
outbuilding that serves as a shelter for a dog
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
largestadjectiveUS /ˈlɑːrdʒəst/
superlative of “large” — above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
mastiffnounUS /ˈmæstəf/
an old breed of powerful deep-chested smooth-coated dog used chiefly as a watchdog and guard dog
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
Micmacs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
a particular point in time
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
murderersnounUS /ˈmɜːrdərərz/
plural of “murderer” — a criminal who commits homicide (who performs the unlawful premeditated killing of another human being)
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
raidersnounUS /ˈreɪdərz/
plural of “raider” — someone who takes spoils or plunder (as in war)
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
Identical; not different.
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
skullnounUS /skʌl/
the bony skeleton of the head of vertebrates
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
snappedverbUS /snæpt/
inflected form of “snap” — utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
stridentadjectiveUS /ˈstraɪdənt/
conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading THE SURPRISE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SURPRISE.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
tomahawkverbUS /ˈtɑːməhɔːk/
cut with a tomahawk
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
precisely as stated
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
a message informing of danger
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The midnight murderers were at the very doors before even a dog gave warning.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The dog bore an Indian to the ground, and then fell dead, with a tomahawk buried in his skull.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading Then several curs raised a shrill alarm, and a great mastiff, chained to his kennel in the yard of the largest house, snapped his chain and sprang upon the raiders.
yellnounUS /jel/
a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
From this reading At the same moment the long, strident yell of the Micmacs rang through the hamlet, and a half dozen hatchets beat in every door.
