used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
(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 the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
babels
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
barredadjectiveUS /bɑːrd/
preventing entry or exit or a course of action
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
discordantadjectiveUS /dɪˈskɔːrdənt/
not in agreement or harmony
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
dismaladjectiveUS /ˈdɪzməl/
causing dejection
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
echoverbUS /ˈekoʊ/
to say again or imitate
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
glisteningadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɪsənɪŋ/
reflecting light
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
coins made of gold
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
hauntsnounUS /hɔːnts/
plural of “haunt” — a frequently visited place
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
impassiveadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpæsɪv/
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
madhousenounUS /ˈmædhaʊs/
pejorative terms for an insane asylum
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
meadowsnounUS /ˈmedoʊz/
plural of “meadow” — a field where grass or alfalfa are grown to be made into hay
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
being nothing more than specified
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
mistsnounUS /mɪsts/
plural of “mist” — a thin fog with condensation near the ground
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
in motion
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
not any; not one
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
the middle of the day
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
OverprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
pinnacles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
piteousadjective
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
ripplesnounUS /ˈrɪpəlz/
plural of “ripple” — a small wave on the surface of a liquid
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
screamverbUS /skriːm/
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
screamingadjectiveUS /ˈskriːmɪŋ/
so extremely intense as to evoke screams
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
sedges
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
shallows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
shrilladjectiveUS /ʃrɪl/
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
characterized by or preferring solitude
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
spoilernounUS /ˈspɔɪlər/
a candidate with no chance of winning but who may draw enough votes to prevent one of the leading candidates from winning
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
a special situation
From this reading From the island came a solitary cry, the scream of a living thing in pain, shrill, piteous, and discordant.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
travelledadjectiveUS /ˈtrævəld/
familiar with many parts of the world
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
veiledadjectiveUS /veɪld/
having or as if having a veil or concealing cover
From this reading The impassive trees moved never a finger, though echo veiled among the hills.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
at the time that
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
in the company of; together with
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
witheredadjectiveUS /ˈwɪðərd/
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
From this reading No wind was moving—the withered sedges were silent in the shallows, and no ripples barred the water with dim gold.
woodedadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdɪd/
covered with growing trees and bushes etc
From this reading Over the madhouse in the mere the noon sun had travelled, drawing the grey mists up from the meadows, glistening upon the pinnacles of the wooded hills.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading All the dismal babels of the place seemed to wake at the cry like the screaming of birds when some savage spoiler haunts the woods.
