used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An Indian Village.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
sloping land (especially the slope beside a body of water)
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
blacknessnounUS /ˈblæknəs/
the quality or state of the achromatic color of least lightness (bearing the least resemblance to white)
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
darkeradjectiveUS /ˈdɑːrkər/
comparative of “dark” — devoid of or deficient in light or brightness; shadowed or black
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
denseadjectiveUS /dens/
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
encircledadjectiveUS /ɪnˈsɜːrkəld/
confined on all sides
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
envelopedverbUS /enˈveləpt/
past form of “envelop” — enclose or enfold completely with or as if with a covering
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
in a gradual manner
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
halonounUS /ˈheɪloʊ/
an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
of or relating to or characteristic of India or the East Indies or their peoples or languages or cultures
From this reading An Indian Village.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
immediately past
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
set afire or burning
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
omennounUS /ˈoʊmən/
a sign of something about to happen
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
the act of firing a projectile
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
vergenounUS /vɜːrdʒ/
a region marking a boundary
From this reading At last it finally disappeared in a dense bank of clouds on the verge of the horizon.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading An Indian Village.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had now been for some time on the road, and the night was getting darker and darker.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The moon, which up to this time had lighted our way, was now becoming gradually encircled with a halo--a bad omen.
yellowishadjectiveUS /ˈjeloʊɪʃ/
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading From time to time a yellowish sheet of lightning shot through the dark mass, and brought out, in strong relief, the dense blackness which enveloped the country around.
