used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading Perhaps the wind blew it to him.
bravestadjectiveUS /ˈbreɪvəst/
superlative of “brave” — possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
Celia
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
a young person of either sex
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
crushedadjectiveUS /krʌʃt/
treated so as to have a permanently wrinkled appearance
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
opinion or judgment
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
an instinctive motive
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
interveningadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈviːnɪŋ/
occurring or falling between events or points in time
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading Who knows?
lainverbUS /leɪn/
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
leapnounUS /liːp/
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
roused to anger
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
a particular point in time
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
pitifullyadverbUS /ˈpɪtɪfəli/
to a pitiful degree
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
prairienounUS /ˈpreri/
a treeless grassy plain
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
Seth'snounUS /seθs/
possessive form of “seth” — (Old Testament) third son of Adam and Eve; given by God in place of the murdered Abel
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
shapelessadjectiveUS /ˈʃeɪpləs/
having no definite form or distinct shape
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
propel through the air
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
wailingly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
wheelsnounUS /wiːlz/
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading For one mad moment, such as comes to the bravest, Seth's impulse was to throw himself beneath the wheels of the car that was taking Celia away from him.
which person or people
From this reading Who knows?
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Perhaps the wind blew it to him.
wind-blown
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Perhaps it came to him in reality across the intervening miles of wind-blown prairie.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading In another he would have lain a crushed and shapeless mass in their wake; but as he shut his eyes for the leap there came to him distinctly, pitifully, wailingly, the cry of the child.
