used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
aspennounUS /ˈæspən/
any of several trees of the genus Populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
braying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Up in the mountains the elk were braying.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
cottonwoodsnounUS /ˈkɑːtənwʊdz/
plural of “cottonwood” — any of several North American trees of the genus Populus having a tuft of cottony hairs on the seed
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
coyotesnounUS /kaɪˈoʊtis/
plural of “coyote” — small wolf native to western North America
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
DAVIDSON'S
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
the first light of day
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
elknounUS /elk/
large northern deer with enormous flattened antlers in the male; called “elk” in Europe and “moose” in North America
From this reading Up in the mountains the elk were braying.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
flatsnounUS /flæts/
footwear (shoes or slippers) with no heel (or a very low heel)
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
fowlnounUS /faʊl/
a domesticated gallinaceous bird thought to be descended from the red jungle fowl
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
honked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
ten 10s
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
immeasurableadjectiveUS /ˌɪˈmeʒəræbəl/
impossible to measure
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Up in the mountains the elk were braying.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
meadowsnounUS /ˈmedoʊz/
plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
used to form the superlative
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Up in the mountains the elk were braying.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
on one occasion
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
a light shade of red
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
shornadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrn/
having the hair or wool cut or clipped off as if with shears or clippers
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
shriller
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Up in the mountains the elk were braying.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading The voice of the coyotes at the pink of dawn seemed shriller now, as speaking of the coming days of want.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Up in the mountains the elk were braying.
in or at the place that
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading A hundred thousand wild fowl honked their way across the meadows toward the black flats where once had been a lake, and where now was immeasurable food for them.
willowsnounUS /ˈwɪloʊz/
plural of “willow” — any of numerous deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Salix
From this reading DAVIDSON'S CONSCIENCE It was fall, and the flame of the frost had fallen on the aspen and the cottonwoods, and shorn the willows of most of their leaves.
