used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
ArcticnounUS /ˈɑːrktɪk/
the regions to the north of the Arctic Circle centered on the North Pole
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
next to; at the side of
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
clatternounUS /ˈklætər/
a rattling noise (often produced by rapid movement)
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
crimsonadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmzən/
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
dyedadjectiveUS /daɪd/
(used of color) artificially produced; not natural
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
opinion or judgment
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
flakesnounUS /fleɪks/
plural of “flake” — a crystal of snow
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
frightnounUS /fraɪt/
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
insectsnounUS /ˈɪnsekts/
plural of “insect” — small air-breathing arthropod
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
mantlenounUS /ˈmæntəl/
the cloak as a symbol of authority
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
the force of workers available
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
on one occasion
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
plantsnounUS /plænts/
plural of “plant” — buildings for carrying on industrial labor
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
ribsnounUS /rɪbz/
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
cut with a saw
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
be standing; be upright
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading For myself, the first start over, I recalled that once before I had seen snow like that.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
thumpingnounUS /ˈθʌmpɪŋ/
a heavy dull sound (as made by impact of heavy objects)
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
very small
From this reading Learned men said small Arctic plants in floating clouds, or tiny insects, had dyed the white flakes crimson.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
the topmost one of two
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
a Caucasian
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
which person or people
From this reading Together we watched the three figures, her breath coming like that of one who had run far, her heart thumping against her ribs.
WillisnounUS /ˈwɪlɪs/
English physician who was a pioneer in the study of the brain (1621-1675)
From this reading There was a clatter on the stairs as Mistress Willis came down, her face white as the snow had been.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She saw the red mantle from an upper window, and came to stand beside me, with fright in her eyes.
