used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
denseadjectiveUS /dens/
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
divisible by two
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
far-offadjective
very far away in space or time
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
more distant in especially space or time
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
loftieradjectiveUS /ˈlɔːftiər/
comparative of “lofty” — of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
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 One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
not any; not one
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
NorthwestnounUS /ˌnɔːrˈθwest/
the northwestern region of the United States
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
peaksnounUS /piːks/
plural of “peak” — the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
ridgesnounUS /ˈrɪdʒəz/
plural of “ridge” — a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
having or caused by an irregular surface
From this reading At no great distance beyond its edge was rough and broken country.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
southwardadverbUS /ˈsaʊθwərd/
toward the south
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
sprucenounUS /spruːs/
light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
sunkadjectiveUS /sʌŋk/
doomed to extinction
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
surroundingadjectiveUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋ/
closely encircling
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading The sun had sunk beyond the loftier ridges, although even now in the valley there remained considerable light.
precisely as stated
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
in or at the place that
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
a Caucasian
From this reading One could have seen many miles over the surrounding country had not, close at hand, where the little white tent stood, the forest of spruce been very dense and green.
white-topped
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Farther on, to the southward, stood white-topped peaks many miles distant, although from the camp these could not be seen.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading It was a wild and beautiful scene which lay about the little camp in the far-off mountains of the Northwest.
