Chapter IV · Chapter 4

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

from one side of something to the other

From this reading "Macaw--Ara," said my uncle; "flying across from tree to tree?"

tending to become more severe or wider in scope

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

a constellation in the southern hemisphere near Telescopium and Norma

From this reading "Macaw--Ara," said my uncle; "flying across from tree to tree?"

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

earlier than; in front of

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

taking care or paying attention

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

divisible by two

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

plural of “feather” — the light horny waterproof structure forming the external covering of birds

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

moving swiftly

From this reading "Macaw--Ara," said my uncle; "flying across from tree to tree?"

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Macaw--Ara," said my uncle; "flying across from tree to tree?"

green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

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

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

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

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

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

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

conformity or harmony

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

plural of “lizard” — relatively long-bodied reptile with usually two pairs of legs and a tapering tail

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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 "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

long-tailed brilliantly colored parrot of Central America and South America; among the largest and showiest of parrots

From this reading "Macaw--Ara," said my uncle; "flying across from tree to tree?"

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

not any; not one

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

not one thing; not anything

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

pit viper with horny segments at the end of the tail that rattle when shaken

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

to go back over again

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

plural of “rock” — a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

perception by means of the eyes

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

(of something seen or heard) clearly defined

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

the act of firing a projectile

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

term of address for a man

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

refrain from harming

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

inflected form of “sun” — expose one's body to the sun

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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

From this reading "Macaw--Ara," said my uncle; "flying across from tree to tree?"

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.

a formal word for “on”

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

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

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading "No, we have not even seen it, whatever it is," said my uncle, smiling.

in or at the place that

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

in the company of; together with

From this reading We began to retrace our steps, keeping a sharp look-out, but seeing nothing but some active lizards sunning themselves among the rocks, and a rattlesnake, which we carefully left at rest; but before we were half-way back to where we had left our companions we came upon them with the spare guns.

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk

From this reading "Wonderful handsome bird, sir, with long blue and green and red and yellow feathers in its tail."

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Haven't you shot it, sir?" asked Pete, staring hard at my uncle.