used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
alkalinounUS /ˈælkəlaɪ/
any of various water-soluble compounds capable of turning litmus blue and reacting with an acid to form a salt and water
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
azurenounUS /ˈæʒər/
a light shade of blue
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
completely unclothed
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The herd had been driven forty miles.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
cactusnounUS /ˈkæktəs/
any succulent plant of the family Cactaceae native chiefly to arid regions of the New World and usually having spines
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
cloudlessadjectiveUS /ˈklaʊdləs/
free from clouds
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
deepestadjectiveUS /ˈdiːpəst/
superlative of “deep” — relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading The herd had been driven forty miles.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
featuredadjectiveUS /ˈfiːtʃərd/
made a feature or highlight; given prominence
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
fortyadjectiveUS /ˈfɔːrti/
being ten more than thirty
From this reading The herd had been driven forty miles.
glarenounUS /ɡler/
a light within the field of vision that is brighter than the brightness to which the eyes are adapted
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
gramanounUS /ˈɡræmə/
pasture grass of plains of South America and western North America
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
greasewoodnounUS /ˈɡriːswʊd/
low hardy much-branched spiny shrub common in alkaline soils of western America
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
haltedverbUS /ˈhɔːltəd/
past form of “halt” — cause to stop
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
herdnounUS /hɜːrd/
a group of cattle or sheep or other domestic mammals all of the same kind that are herded by humans
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
INVISIBLEadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈvɪzəbəl/
impossible or nearly impossible to see; imperceptible by the eye
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
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 Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
the force of workers available
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
MENACEverbUS /ˈmenəs/
pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The herd had been driven forty miles.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no timber on the plains.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was no timber on the plains.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
plainsnounUS /pleɪnz/
plural of “plain” — extensive tract of level open land
From this reading There was no timber on the plains.
plantsnounUS /plænts/
plural of “plant” — buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
stretchesnounUS /ˈstretʃəz/
plural of “stretch” — a large and unbroken expanse or distance
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
swamverbUS /swæm/
inflected form of “swim” — travel through water
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no timber on the plains.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
timbernounUS /ˈtɪmbər/
the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
From this reading There was no timber on the plains.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Cattle, men, and horses had passed through a country which was familiar to them; a country featured by long grama grass, greasewood, and cactus plants.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE INVISIBLE MENACE At the close of the second day the big trail herd halted at the edge of the vast level over which it had come.
a Caucasian
From this reading The gray of the grama grass and the bare stretches of alkali shone white in the glare of a sun that swam in a cloudless sky of deepest azure.
