used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
(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 Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
a youthful male person
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
crooningnounUS /ˈkruːnɪŋ/
singing in a soft low tone
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
Drusilla
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
set up or found
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Or, rather, he had found her.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Or, rather, he had found her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Captain had stopped in his tracks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
lapverbUS /læp/
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
muddyadjectiveUS /ˈmʌdi/
(of soil) soft and watery
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
on one occasion
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Or, rather, he had found her.
rainyadjectiveUS /ˈreɪni/
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
on the contrary
From this reading Or, rather, he had found her.
generally approved or compelling recognition
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
the act of singing vocal music
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
in or at or to some place
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
a short musical composition with words
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The Captain had stopped in his tracks.
strapnounUS /stræp/
an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
tracksnounUS /træks/
plural of “track” — a line or route along which something travels or moves
From this reading The Captain had stopped in his tracks.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
uniformadjectiveUS /ˈjuːnəfɔːrm/
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
belonging to which person
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had come upon her one rainy afternoon, and had not recognized her in her muddy uniform, with a strap under her chin.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading THE SINGING WOMAN Somewhere in France, Drusilla had found the Captain.
people who are wounded
From this reading Then all at once he had heard her voice, crooning a song to a badly wounded boy whose head lay in her lap.
