used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
a short stout club used primarily by policemen
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
boilingnounUS /ˈbɔɪlɪŋ/
the application of heat to change something from a liquid to a gas
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/
as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
Charlie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
chasmnounUS /ˈkæzəm/
a deep opening in the earth's surface
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
declinedverbUS /dɪˈklaɪnd/
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
relatively long in duration; tediously protracted
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
ExterminatedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈstɜːrməneɪtɪd/
destroyed completely
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
(of materials or goods) brought to the desired final state
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
set up or found
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
an opening into or through something
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
InitialsnounUS /ˌɪˈnɪʃəlz/
plural of “initial” — the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
InvestigationnounUS /ˌɪnvestəˈɡeɪʃən/
an inquiry into unfamiliar or questionable activities
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
immediately past
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
the food served and eaten at one time
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
MortonnounUS /ˈmɔːrtən/
United States jazz musician who moved from ragtime to New Orleans jazz (1885-1941)
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
of an obscure nature
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
plural of “native” — an indigenous person who was born in a particular place
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
a course of conduct
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
in the near future
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
springsnounUS /sprɪŋz/
plural of “spring” — the season of growth
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
stand-still
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
Stuart'snounUS /ˈstuːərts/
possessive form of “stuart” — United States painter best known for his portraits of George Washington (1755-1828)
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
surcingles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Suddenly across their path extended a black chasm, bringing them to a stand-still.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
traversedverbUS /ˈtrævərst/
past form of “traverse” — travel across or pass over
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading Investigation of the Mysterious Noise--The Trip South--Natives Exterminated--Stuart's Initials Found.
undergroundadjectiveUS /ˈʌndərɡraʊnd/
under the level of the ground
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As soon as the meal was finished, Morton, Brown, and Charlie descended the hole, but Billy declined the invitation extended to him.
water-course
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
at the time that
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading At last they arrived at the branch passage from whence came the mysterious noise, and along this they proceeded cautiously.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading By the aid of the surcingles they climbed down into the passage already traversed by Charlie and Billy, and which appeared to have been an underground water-course at the time when the boiling springs were at work.
