used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
(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 All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
chillnounUS /tʃɪl/
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
CloakedadjectiveUS /kloʊkt/
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
crowsnounUS /kroʊz/
plural of “crow” — black birds having a raucous call
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
the first light of day
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
dolefuladjectiveUS /ˈdoʊlfəl/
filled with or evoking sadness
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
downwardadjectiveUS /ˈdaʊnwərd/
extending or moving from a higher to a lower place
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
driftwoodnounUS /ˈdrɪftwʊd/
wood that is floating or that has been washed ashore
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
inflected form of “fling” — throw with force or recklessness
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
fognounUS /fɑːɡ/
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
ghostlyadjectiveUS /ˈɡoʊstli/
resembling or characteristic of a phantom
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
glowedverbUS /ɡloʊd/
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
not any; not one
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
REGIONnounUS /ˈriːdʒən/
the extended spatial location of something
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
rimnounUS /rɪm/
the shape of a raised edge of a more or less circular object
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
ruddily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Cloaked with the fog, our breakfast fire of driftwood glowed ruddily.
concerned with religion or religious purposes
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
sandstonenounUS /ˈsændstoʊn/
a sedimentary rock consisting of sand consolidated with some cement (clay or quartz etc.)
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
deliver by singing
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
smittenadjectiveUS /ˈsmɪtən/
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
summitnounUS /ˈsʌmət/
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
in or at that place or location
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The coming sun had smitten the chill night air into a ghostly fog that lay upon the valley like a fairy lake.
vocaladjectiveUS /ˈvoʊkəl/
relating to or designed for or using the singing voice
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
WEIRnounUS /wiːr/
a low dam built across a stream to raise its level or divert its flow
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
wheelingnounUS /ˈwiːlɪŋ/
a city in the northern panhandle of West Virginia on the Ohio river
From this reading We were at the rim of the Bad Lands and there were no birds to sing; but crows, wheeling about a sandstone summit, flung doleful voices downward into the morning hush--the spirit of the place grown vocal.
wildernessnounUS /ˈwɪldərnəs/
(politics) a state of disfavor
From this reading All about us was the sacred silence of the wilderness dawn.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THROUGH THE REGION OF WEIR We awoke with light hearts on the second morning of the voyage.
