used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
Ba'tiste
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
beltingnounUS /ˈbeltɪŋ/
the material of which belts are made
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
blackenedadjectiveUS /ˈblækənd/
darkened by smoke
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
bladenounUS /bleɪd/
especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
boilernounUS /ˈbɔɪlər/
sealed vessel where water is converted to steam
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
an onerous or difficult concern
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
carriagesnounUS /ˈkærɪdʒɪz/
plural of “carriage” — a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
distempered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
edgers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
at any time
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
guaranteedverbUS /ˌɡerənˈtiːd/
past form of “guarantee” — give surety or assume responsibility
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
HoustonnounUS /ˈhjuːstən/
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
junknounUS /dʒʌŋk/
the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
immediately past
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
the force of workers available
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
millverbUS /mɪl/
move about in a confused manner
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
a particular point in time
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
muley
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
and nothing more
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
provideverbUS /prəˈvaɪd/
give something useful or necessary to
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
sawsnounUS /sɔːz/
plural of “saw” — a condensed but memorable saying embodying some important fact of experience that is taken as true by many people
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
socketsnounUS /ˈsɑːkəts/
plural of “socket” — a bony hollow into which a structure fits
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
stareverbUS /ster/
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
not in physical motion
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Houston could only stare and realize that his burden had become greater than ever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
a special situation
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
trimmersnounUS /ˈtrɪmərz/
plural of “trimmer” — a worker who thins out and trims trees and shrubs
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
tritelyadverb
in a trite manner
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
moved around an axis or center
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
the cardinal number that is the sum of nineteen and one
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
having no beneficial use or incapable of functioning usefully
From this reading The mill was gone; the blade was still hanging in its sockets, a useless, distempered thing; the boiler was bent and blackened, the belting burned; the carriages and muley saws and edgers and trimmers were only so much junk.
wagonsnounUS /ˈwæɡənz/
plural of “wagon” — any of various kinds of wheeled vehicles drawn by an animal or a tractor
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In the wagons behind him were twenty men, guaranteed at least a month of labor, and now there was nothing to provide it.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He turned at last to Ba'tiste, to ask tritely what he knew could not be answered:
the words that are spoken
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Words would not come for a moment.
