used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
AboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
achingadjectiveUS /ˈeɪkɪŋ/
causing a dull and steady pain
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
(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 On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
antsnounUS /ænts/
plural of “ant” — social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
baringnounUS /ˈberɪŋ/
the removal of covering
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
boulder-broken
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
breedverbUS /briːd/
call forth
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
bulknounUS /bʌlk/
the property resulting from being or relating to the greater in number of two parts; the main part
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
clingsnounUS /klɪŋz/
plural of “cling” — fruit (especially peach) whose flesh adheres strongly to the pit
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
crawlingnounUS /ˈkrɔːlɪŋ/
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
fantasticadjectiveUS /fænˈtæstɪk/
ludicrously odd
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
marked by extreme and violent energy
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
frozenadjectiveUS /ˈfroʊzən/
turned into ice; affected by freezing or by long and severe cold
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
funereally
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
harshadjectiveUS /hɑːrʃ/
unpleasantly stern
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
immensitynoun
unusual largeness in size or extent or number
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
a person who rules or guides or inspires others
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
lousenounUS /laʊs/
wingless usually flattened bloodsucking insect parasitic on warm-blooded animals
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
the force of workers available
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
peak-fang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
perishverbUS /ˈperɪʃ/
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
pinenounUS /paɪn/
a coniferous tree
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
prickedverbUS /prɪkt/
past form of “prick” — make a small hole into, as with a needle or a thorn
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
snowsnounUS /snoʊz/
plural of “snow” — precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
stormyadjectiveUS /ˈstɔːrmi/
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion
From this reading Above that was a stormy and fantastic sea of mountains baring many a fierce peak-fang to the hollow heavens.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the aching circle of its immensity they were like little black ants.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/
during the time that
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
winter-locked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two men were crawling over the winter-locked plain.
wiryadjectiveUS /ˈwɪri/
lean and sinewy
From this reading One, the leader, was of great bulk and of a vast strength; while the other was small and wiry, of the breed that clings like a louse to life while better men perish.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On all sides of the frozen lake over which they were travelling were hills covered with harsh pine, that pricked funereally up to the boulder-broken snows.
