used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “A sentry smoking a cigarette,” came the reply.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
blowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/
processing that involves blowing a gas
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
a youthful male person
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “A sentry smoking a cigarette,” came the reply.
chancedverbUS /tʃænst/
past form of “chance” — be the case by chance
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
cigarettenounUS /ˌsɪɡərˈet/
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “A sentry smoking a cigarette,” came the reply.
rid of obstructions
From this reading “THE WAY IS CLEAR!”
start firing a weapon
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
fireflynounUS /ˈfaɪərflaɪ/
tropical American click beetle having bright luminous spots
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
in a gradual manner
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
glowedverbUS /ɡloʊd/
past form of “glow” — emit a steady even light without flames
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “THE WAY IS CLEAR!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
KentuckynounUS /kənˈtʌki/
a state in east central United States; a border state during the American Civil War; famous for breeding race horses
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
regularlyadverbUS /ˈreɡjələrli/
in a regular manner
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading “A sentry smoking a cigarette,” came the reply.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
sentrynounUS /ˈsentri/
a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
From this reading “A sentry smoking a cigarette,” came the reply.
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading “A sentry smoking a cigarette,” came the reply.
sniffedverbUS /snɪft/
past form of “sniff” — perceive by inhaling through the nose
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “THE WAY IS CLEAR!”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “How silly of me not to have guessed that,” thought the Kentucky boy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
vanishverbUS /ˈvænɪʃ/
get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “THE WAY IS CLEAR!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
in or at the place that
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading And then he sniffed the air, for it chanced that the night wind was blowing gently from the point where that fire glowed.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading “What is it, Frank?” whispered Bob, as he stared in wonder at the strange firefly that seemed to appear, and then vanish so regularly.
