Chapter I · Chapter 1

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

in the past

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

(of farmland) capable of being farmed productively

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

the residue that remains when something is burned

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

fresh and animated

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

(used of soaps or cleaning agents) having a substance (an abrasive or filler) added to increase effectiveness

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

plural of “dam” — a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

plural of “dash” — distinctive and stylish elegance

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

past form of “drown” — cover completely or make imperceptible

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

emitting or filled with bubbles as from carbonation or fermentation

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The little town itself has a thriving look.

where you live at a particular time

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

lacking piety or reverence for a god

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading The little town itself has a thriving look.

and nothing more

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

a projecting ridge on a mountain or submerged under water

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

plural of “level” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The little town itself has a thriving look.

wood of any of various maple trees; especially the hard close-grained wood of the sugar maple; used especially for furniture and flooring

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

plural of “marsh” — low-lying wet land with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

above and across; more than

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

plural of “pasture” — a field covered with grass or herbage and suitable for grazing by livestock

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

an introduction to a play

From this reading PROLOGUE.

done or occurring in a brief period of time

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

having a supporting base

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

not in physical motion

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

plural of “stump” — the base part of a tree that remains standing after the tree has been felled

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

medium-sized larch of Canada and northern United States including Alaska having a broad conic crown and rust-brown scaly bark

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

in or at that place or location

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the time of life between 30 and 40

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

very lively and profitable

From this reading The little town itself has a thriving look.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

in or at the place that

From this reading To-day I am at home in the little town of the fens, where the Ahwewee River falls some thirty feet from one level of land to another.

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

in the company of; together with

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Both broad levels were covered with forest of ash and maple, spruce and tamarack; but long ago, some time in the thirties, impious hands built dams on the impetuous Ahwewee, and wide marshes and drowned wood-lands are the result.

the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.

but in spite of that

From this reading Yet just immediately at Fentown there is neither marsh nor dead tree; the river dashes over its ledge of rock in a foaming flood, runs shallow and rapid between green woods, and all about the town there are breezy pastures where the stumps are still standing, and arable lands well cleared.