used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
AdamnounUS /ˈædəm/
(Old Testament) in Judeo-Christian mythology; the first man and the husband of Eve and the progenitor of the human race
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
calico-veined
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading The desert had changed its face.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
coppersnounUS /ˈkɑːpərz/
plural of “copper” — a ductile malleable reddish-brown corrosion-resistant diamagnetic metallic element; occurs in various minerals but is the only metal that occurs abundantly in large masses; used as an electrical and thermal conductor
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading The desert had changed its face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The desert had changed its face.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
granites
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
green-blue
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
hospitableadjectiveUS /ˈhɑːˈspɪtəbəl/
favorable to life and growth
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
ironsnounUS /ˈaɪərnz/
metal shackles; for hands or legs
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The desert had changed its face.
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 Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
march in a procession
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
Mohavenoun
a member of the North American Indian people formerly living in the Colorado river valley in Arizona and Nevada and California
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
plantverbUS /plænt/
put or set (seeds, seedlings, or plants) into the ground
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
plateaus
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
ploddingnounUS /ˈplɑːdɪŋ/
hard monotonous routine work
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
porphyries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
rangesnounUS /ˈreɪndʒəz/
plural of “range” — an area in which something acts or operates or has power or control: "the range of a supersonic jet"
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
royal-purple
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
ruddyadjectiveUS /ˈrʌdi/
inclined to a healthy reddish color often associated with outdoor life
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
southwardadverbUS /ˈsaʊθwərd/
toward the south
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
sulphurs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
survivalnounUS /sərˈvaɪvəl/
a state of surviving; remaining alive
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And it had become more hospitable to the survival of plant life.
vividadjectiveUS /ˈvɪvəd/
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading This desert had color, but not so vivid, not so striking.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
at the time that
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
a Caucasian
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading Left behind were the rare calico-veined ranges of mountains, the royal-purple porphyries, the wonderful white granites, the green-blue coppers, the yellow sulphurs, and the ruddy red irons.
yuccanounUS /ˈjʌkə/
any of several evergreen plants of the genus Yucca having usually tall stout stems and a terminal cluster of white flowers; warmer regions of North America
From this reading When the following March came, Adam had been a week plodding southward over the yucca plateaus of the Mohave.
