used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
baldadjectiveUS /bɔːld/
with no effort to conceal
From this reading To be prematurely bald is disheartening.
baldnessnounUS /ˈbɔːldnəs/
the condition of having no hair on the top of the head
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To be prematurely bald is disheartening.
befitted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
decaynounUS /dɪˈkeɪ/
the process of gradually becoming inferior
From this reading It was the first warning of decay.
dishearteningadjectiveUS /dɪsˈhɑːrtənɪŋ/
destructive of morale and self-reliance
From this reading To be prematurely bald is disheartening.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
downsnounUS /daʊnz/
plural of “down” — soft fine feathers
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
EmpressnounUS /ˈempres/
a woman emperor or the wife of an emperor
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It was the first warning of decay.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To be prematurely bald is disheartening.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the first warning of decay.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the first warning of decay.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
prematureadjectiveUS /ˌpriːməˈtʃʊr/
born after a gestation period of less than the normal time
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
prematurelyadverbUS /ˌpriːməˈtʃʊrli/
(of childbirth) before the end of the normal period of gestation
From this reading To be prematurely bald is disheartening.
ridgenounUS /rɪdʒ/
a long narrow natural elevation or striation
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
shadowyadjectiveUS /ˈʃædoʊi/
filled with shade
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading * * * * * The Empress Mother came sailing over the hill, high in the sky as befitted her.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the first warning of decay.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To be prematurely bald is disheartening.
a message informing of danger
From this reading It was the first warning of decay.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This baldness was so premature as to be serious.
white-ribbedadjective
having white ribs
From this reading Behind her, in the far distance, lay the white-ribbed downs, and, along their ridge, there stretched against the sky a thin, shadowy, broken line.
