used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
(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 THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now the signs had come.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
BEAVERnounUS /ˈbiːvər/
the soft brown fur of the beaver
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And now the signs had come.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
crimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading Foliage crimson to the touch of night-frosts.
CrispadjectiveUS /krɪsp/
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
moving swiftly
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
FoliagenounUS /ˈfoʊlɪdʒ/
the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Foliage crimson to the touch of night-frosts.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
furnounUS /fɜːr/
the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
the act of departing
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
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 THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
night-frosts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Foliage crimson to the touch of night-frosts.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the signs had come.
nutsadjectiveUS /nʌts/
informal or slang terms for mentally irregular
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
pondnounUS /pɑːnd/
a small lake
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
snow-padded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
southwardadverbUS /ˈsaʊθwərd/
toward the south
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
spicyadjectiveUS /ˈspaɪsi/
producing a burning sensation on the taste nerves
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Foliage crimson to the touch of night-frosts.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Foliage crimson to the touch of night-frosts.
trading-posts
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading THE TAKING OF THE BEAVER All summer long he had hung about the fur company trading-posts waiting for the signs.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Crisp autumn days, spicy with the smell of nuts and dead leaves.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading Birds flying away southward, leaving the woods silent as the snow-padded surface of a frozen pond.
