used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
awhileadverbUS /əˈwaɪl/
for a short time
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
blood-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
bonyadjectiveUS /ˈboʊni/
being very thin
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
cloudyadjectiveUS /ˈklaʊdi/
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
plural of “creature” — a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
dawnedverbUS /dɔːnd/
past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
deliciousadjectiveUS /dɪˈlɪʃəs/
greatly pleasing or entertaining
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
Dream-like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
drowsyadjectiveUS /ˈdraʊzi/
half asleep
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
flitted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
flutteringnounUS /ˈflʌtərɪŋ/
the motion made by flapping up and down
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
graspingnounUS /ˈɡræspɪŋ/
understanding with difficulty
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
hazenounUS /heɪz/
atmospheric moisture or dust or smoke that causes reduced visibility
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
imagesnounUS /ˈɪmədʒəz/
plural of “image” — an iconic mental representation
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
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 There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
menaceverbUS /ˈmenəs/
pose a threat to; present a danger to
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
become covered with mist
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
oblivionnounUS /əˈblɪviən/
the state of being disregarded or forgotten
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
shapesnounUS /ʃeɪps/
plural of “shape” — any spatial attributes (especially as defined by outline)
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
not in physical motion
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
stillnessnounUS /ˈstɪlnəs/
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
stormyadjectiveUS /ˈstɔːrmi/
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading There followed a long drowsy time of stillness and shadow.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/
in the direction of
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
undefinableadjective
not capable of being precisely or readily described; not easily put into words
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
precisely as stated
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
a vivid mental image
From this reading Then—very gradually, there dawned upon my sense of vision a cloudy red mist like a stormy sunset, and from the middle of the blood-like haze a huge black hand descended toward me.
a message informing of danger
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
(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 I seemed to have fallen in some deep well of delicious oblivion and obscurity.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dream-like images still flitted before my fancy—these were at first undefinable, but after awhile they took more certain shapes.
a Caucasian
From this reading Strange fluttering creatures hovered about me—lonely eyes stared at me from a visible deep gloom; long white bony fingers grasping at nothing made signs to me of warning or menace.
