used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/
higher than, or over, something
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
beaconnounUS /ˈbiːkən/
a fire (usually on a hill or tower) that can be seen from a distance
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
bravesnounUS /breɪvz/
plural of “brave” — a North American Indian warrior
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
Casas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
convergedverbUS /kənˈvɜːrdʒd/
past form of “converge” — be adjacent or come together
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
divisible by two
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
expectationnounUS /ˌekspekˈteɪʃən/
belief about (or mental picture of) the future
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
fednounUS /fed/
any federal law-enforcement officer
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
start firing a weapon
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
plural of “form” — the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
Grandes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
intercededverbUS /ˌɪntərˈsiːdɪd/
past form of “intercede” — act between parties with a view to reconciling differences
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
IntoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
MexicannounUS /ˈmeksəkən/
a native or inhabitant of Mexico
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
of an obscure nature
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
remoteadjectiveUS /rɪˈmoʊt/
located far away spatially
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
a recompense for worthy acts or retribution for wrongdoing
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
Shoz-Dijiji
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
signalledverbUS /ˈsɪɡnəld/
inflected form of “signal” — communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
soft-footedadjective
sound of quiet gentle steps
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
not in physical motion
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
summitnounUS /ˈsʌmət/
the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
tendedverbUS /ˈtendɪd/
past form of “tend” — have a tendency or disposition to do or be something; be inclined
From this reading It burned steadily hour after hour, tended by a single, silent figure.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading As Shoz-Dijiji kept the signal fire he thought upon the events of the day and he was puzzled.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading Into the hills about and out across the valley it signalled to the scattered braves, and through the silence and the darkness of the night shadowy forms, soft-footed, mysterious, converged toward the shining beacon.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
at the time that
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He could not understand why the Mexican had interceded for him, taken him to his home, fed him, and, after dark, turned him loose without any slightest expectation of reward, not even a remote hope of reward.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading DARKNESS had fallen, but the night was still young when a fire appeared upon the summit of a lonely hill above the village of Casas Grandes.
