used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a march, a grand processional, but where to?
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
(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 The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
completely unclothed
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What was to be the end of it?
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
a youthful male person
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
chantverbUS /tʃænt/
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading What was to be the end of it?
eraseverbUS /ɪˈreɪs/
remove from memory or existence
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
fascinatingadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəneɪtɪŋ/
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
a young female
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
of behavior that is impressive and ambitious in scale or scope
From this reading It was a march, a grand processional, but where to?
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
impressionsnounUS /ˌɪmˈpreʃənz/
plural of “impression” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
inaudibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈnɔːdəbəl/
impossible to hear; imperceptible by the ear
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
intrudersnounUS /ˌɪnˈtruːdərz/
plural of “intruder” — someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
march in a procession
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
Mayas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
the force of workers available
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
plural of “mind” — that which is responsible for one's thoughts, feelings, and conscious brain functions; the seat of the faculty of reason
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
palmsnounUS /pɑːmz/
plural of “palm” — the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
pat-pat
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
by chance
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
planningnounUS /ˈplænɪŋ/
an act of formulating a program for a definite course of action
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
plumesnounUS /pluːmz/
plural of “plume” — anything that resembles a feather in shape or lightness
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
processionaladjectiveUS /prəˈseʃənəl/
intended for use in a procession
From this reading It was a march, a grand processional, but where to?
rhythmicadjectiveUS /ˈrɪðmɪk/
recurring with measured regularity
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
sighingverbUS /ˈsaɪɪŋ/
-ing form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
stampedverbUS /stæmpt/
past form of “stamp” — walk heavily
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/
closely encircling
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Armed to the teeth, these men had but a short half hour before been following, surrounding them, perhaps planning to kill them as intruders in their secret land.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was a march, a grand processional, but where to?
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
past form of “wave” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
weirdadjectiveUS /wɪrd/
suggesting the operation of supernatural influences
From this reading It was strange, weird, fascinating, this march of the Mayas.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was to be the end of it?
in or at the place that
From this reading It was a march, a grand processional, but where to?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The rhythmic chant, the all but inaudible pat-pat of their bare feet, the sighing wind in the palms that waved like plumes above their heads, all this stamped deep into the minds of the boy and the girl impressions that time will never erase.
