used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
at or in the front
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
boundlessadjectiveUS /ˈbaʊndləs/
seemingly boundless in amount, number, degree, or especially extent
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
placed in a grave
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
clumpsnounUS /klʌmps/
plural of “clump” — a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
compactnounUS /ˈkɑːmpækt/
a small cosmetics case with a mirror; to be carried in a woman's purse
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
inflected form of “drag” — pull, as against a resistance
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
to a considerable degree
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
ladenadjectiveUS /ˈleɪdən/
filled with a great quantity
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
loamnounUS /loʊm/
a rich soil consisting of a mixture of sand and clay and decaying organic materials
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
past form of “march” — march in a procession
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
marginnounUS /ˈmɑːrdʒən/
the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
the force of workers available
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
monstrousadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːnstrəs/
abnormally large
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
assembled for use; especially by being attached to a support
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
the region of the United States lying to the north of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
scrubbyadjectiveUS /ˈskrʌbi/
sparsely covered with stunted trees or vegetation and underbrush
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
serpentnounUS /ˈsɜːrpənt/
limbless scaly elongate reptile; some are venomous
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
sinuousadjectiveUS /ˈsɪnwəs/
curved or curving in and out
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
plural of “soldier” — an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
SqueaknounUS /skwiːk/
a short high-pitched noise
From this reading “Squeak!
stragglingadjective
spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly
From this reading Ahead of it rode a compact body of mounted men; and on both sides and behind, marched a straggling mass of soldiers.
a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
tracklessadjective
having no tracks
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
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 Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
vehiclesnounUS /ˈviːhɪkəlz/
plural of “vehicle” — a conveyance that transports people or objects
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
WabashnounUS /ˈwɔːbæʃ/
a tributary of the Ohio River that rises in western Ohio and flows southwestward across Indiana
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
wagon-and-pack-train
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading The wheels of the heavily laden vehicles half buried themselves in the soft loam of the valley.
wildsnounUS /waɪldz/
plural of “wild” — a wild primitive state untouched by civilization
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
windingadjectiveUS /ˈwaɪndɪŋ/
marked by repeated turns and bends
From this reading A wagon-and-pack-train was slowly winding its way through the trackless wilds of the valley of the Wabash.
wormed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Like some monstrous serpent, it dragged its sinuous body along the margin of the boundless prairie that stretched away to the north and west, and wormed itself in and out among the clumps of scrubby trees that marked the course of the stream.
