used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
Brander
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
budsnounUS /bʌdz/
plural of “bud” — a partially opened flower
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
centraladjectiveUS /ˈsentrəl/
serving as an essential component
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
eveningsnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋz/
plural of “evening” — the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
feweradjectiveUS /ˈfjuːər/
(comparative of “few” used with count nouns) quantifier meaning a smaller number of
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
fiords
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
start firing a weapon
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
fishernounUS /ˈfɪʃər/
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
frostnounUS /frɔːst/
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
assemble or get together
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
shoot down, of birds
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
greeningnounUS /ˈɡriːnɪŋ/
the phenomenon of vitality and freshness being restored
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
harpnounUS /hɑːrp/
a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
LARS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE PASSING OF LARS THE OLD.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
lengtheningnounUS /ˈleŋθənɪŋ/
the act of prolonging something
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
not any; not one
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
NorthlandnounUS /ˈnɔːrθlænd/
any region lying in or toward the north
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE PASSING OF LARS THE OLD.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE PASSING OF LARS THE OLD.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
Oswald'snounUS /ˈɔːzwɔːldz/
possessive form of “oswald” — United States assassin of President John F. Kennedy (1939-1963)
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading THE PASSING OF LARS THE OLD.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
with safety; in a safe manner
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
in the near future
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
the rays of the sun
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PASSING OF LARS THE OLD.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In the hall of the house of Brander there were fewer to gather now, in the lengthening evenings, around the central fire, but Oswald's harp was always there.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
warmthnounUS /wɔːrmθ/
the sensation caused by heat energy
From this reading The buds of the trees get ready under the frost and open to the sunshine as soon as a few days of warmth have told them that they may safely burst forth.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Sudden is the change from winter to summer in the Northland.
but in spite of that
From this reading No full leaves were as yet, but the grass was greening and the fisher boats were busy in the fiords.
