used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
Bad-Lands
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
bloodiestadjectiveUS /ˈblʌdiəst/
superlative of “bloody” — having or covered with or accompanied by blood
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
decadesnounUS /deˈkeɪdz/
plural of “decade” — a period of 10 years
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
highest in quality
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
hemmedverbUS /hemd/
inflected form of “hem” — fold over and sew together to provide with a hem
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
massacreverbUS /ˈmæsəkər/
kill a large number of people indiscriminately
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
overlookingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərlʊkɪŋ/
used of a height or viewpoint
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
an amount of time
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
PLIGHTnounUS /plaɪt/
a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
red-skinned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
ReservationsnounUS /ˌrezərˈveɪʃənz/
plural of “reservation” — a district that is reserved for particular purpose
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
slaughternounUS /ˈslɔːtər/
the killing of animals (as for food)
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
trader'snounUS /ˈtreɪdərz/
possessive form of “trader” — someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
soldiers collectively
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The greatest Indian rising of two decades had begun.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
wantonverbUS /ˈwɔːntən/
waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
warfarenounUS /ˈwɔːrfer/
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
warriorsnounUS /ˈwɔːriərz/
plural of “warrior” — someone engaged in or experienced in warfare
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN DESPERATE PLIGHT At daylight the truth was known.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The first to realize the full terror of the situation were the troops in the small trader's fort overlooking the Reservations.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Bad-Lands had entered upon a period of slaughter, of wanton massacre, which was to form one of the bloodiest pages in the history of Indian warfare.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading They awoke to find themselves hemmed in by a vast army of red-skinned warriors, entirely cut off from the outside world.
