Chapter XIV · A Death Trail

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

a unit of area (4840 square yards) used in English-speaking countries

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

later than; following

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Cleves and Selden had been painfully slashed.

capable of wounding

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

An overhead roof or structure, such as the high vaulted ceiling of an ancient library.

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Cleves and Selden had been painfully slashed.

past form of “cool” — make cool or cooler

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

uncannily or threateningly dark or obscure

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

(plural) the deepest and most remote part

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

increase twofold

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

having dropped by the force of gravity

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

marked by intense agitation or emotion

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

a soft light woolen fabric; used for clothing

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

past form of “flow” — move or progress freely as if in a stream

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

possessive form of “fool” — a person who lacks good judgment

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

at or to or toward the front

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

plural of “grass” — narrow-leaved green herbage: grown as lawns; used as pasture for grazing animals; cut and dried as hay

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

many times at short intervals

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

unpleasantly

From this reading Cleves and Selden had been painfully slashed.

plural of “path” — a course of conduct

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

having a hole cut through

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

covered with a roof; having a roof as specified (often used in combination)

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

very bad

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

(biology) the process of decay caused by bacterial or fungal action

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Cleves and Selden had been painfully slashed.

a garment worn on the upper half of the body

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

marked by absence of sound

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

patterned by having color applied with sweeping strokes

From this reading Cleves and Selden had been painfully slashed.

yielding readily to pressure or weight

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

as an undiversified whole

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

not dense

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

any of various pale or ashy mosses of the genus Sphagnum whose decomposed remains form peat

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

plural of “strand” — a pattern forming a unity within a larger structural whole

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

plural of “stream” — a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

plural of “stretch” — a large and unbroken expanse or distance

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

in a confused mass

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

plural of “thorn” — something that causes irritation and annoyance

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Silent, thread-like streams flowed darkling under the tangled mass that roofed them.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

not given to gentleness or sentimentality

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

move through by or as by digging

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

in a vertical position; not sloping

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

smooth and soft to sight or hearing or touch or taste

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

in or at the place that

From this reading There was blood on Tressa, where her flannel shirt had been pierced in a score of places.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

marked by extreme lack of restraint or control

From this reading Sometimes they could move upright; more often they were bent double; and there were long stretches where they had to creep forward on hands and knees through sparse wild grasses, soft, rotten soil, or paths of sphagnum which cooled their feverish skin in velvety, icy depths.

plural of “windfall” — fruit that has fallen from the tree

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.

made or constructed by interlacing threads or strips of material or other elements into a whole

From this reading The way to Fool’s Acre was under a tangled canopy of thorns, under rotting windfalls of grey mirch, through tunnel after tunnel of fallen débris woven solidly by millions of strands of tough cat-briers which cut the flesh like barbed wire.