used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
anew
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
bendverbUS /bend/
form a curve
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
By-and-bynoun
an indefinite time in the future
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
eavesnounUS /iːvz/
the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
to come or go into
From this reading ENTER THE KING’S POSTMAN.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
flownverbUS /floʊn/
inflected form of “fly” — travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
moving swiftly
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
gullsnounUS /ɡʌlz/
plural of “gull” — a person who is gullible and easy to take advantage of
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
KING'SnounUS /kɪŋz/
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading ENTER THE KING’S POSTMAN.
moorsnounUS /mʊrz/
plural of “moor” — one of the Muslim people of north Africa; of mixed Arab and Berber descent; converted to Islam in the 8th century; conqueror of Spain in the 8th century
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
north-westadverb
to, toward, or in the northwest
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
POSTMANnounUS /ˈpoʊstmən/
a man who delivers the mail
From this reading ENTER THE KING’S POSTMAN.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
rushesnounUS /ˈrʌʃəz/
plural of “rush” — the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
sandsnounUS /sændz/
the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
spitverbUS /spɪt/
expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ENTER THE KING’S POSTMAN.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
in or at that place or location
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
towans
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
trickleverbUS /ˈtrɪkəl/
run or flow slowly, as in drops or in an unsteady stream
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading By-and-by a spit or two of rain came flying out of the black north-west.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It died away, and for an hour there was peace on the towans.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A faint south wind murmured beneath the eaves.
the day immediately before today
From this reading Then the sands began to trickle again, and the rushes to whisper and bend away from the sea, toward the high moors over which the gulls had flown yesterday and disappeared.
