used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
agitatedadjectiveUS /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/
troubled emotionally and usually deeply
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
anchornounUS /ˈæŋkər/
a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
anchor-chain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
ArabiannounUS /əˈreɪbiən/
a member of a Semitic people originally from the Arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks Arabic and who inhabits much of the Middle East and northern Africa
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
cleftnounUS /kleft/
a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin)
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
cutsnounUS /kʌts/
plural of “cut” — a share of the profits
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
enchantmentnounUS /enˈtʃæntmənt/
a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
motor that converts thermal energy to mechanical work
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
engineernounUS /ˈendʒəˈnɪr/
a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
at or to or toward the front
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
inactivitynounUS /ˌɪnækˈtɪvɪti/
the state of being inactive
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
jinglingadjective
having a series of high-pitched ringing sounds like many small bells
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
legendnounUS /ˈledʒənd/
a story about mythical or supernatural beings or events
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
melodiousadjectiveUS /məˈloʊdiəs/
having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
musteredverbUS /ˈmʌstərd/
past form of “muster” — gather or bring together
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
plural of “officer” — any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
pony-engine
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
rattleverbUS /ˈrætəl/
make short successive sounds
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
scimitarnoun
a curved oriental saber; the edge is on the convex side of the blade
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
snortverbUS /snɔːrt/
indicate contempt by breathing noisily and forcefully through the nose
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
snortingnounUS /ˈsnɔːrtɪŋ/
an act of forcible exhalation
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
be standing; be upright
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
stowverbUS /stoʊ/
fill by packing tightly
From this reading As the snort of the engine and the rattle of the chain ceased, the crew mustered forward and began to stow the anchor.
sweepverbUS /swiːp/
sweep across or over
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
syllablesnounUS /ˈsɪləbəlz/
plural of “syllable” — a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
talismanicadjective
possessing or believed to possess magic power especially protective power
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Then the melodious jingling of bells down below told the engineer to “stand by.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The silence was immediately broken by the agitated snorting of a pony-engine, and the rattle of the anchor-chain coming up.
utterancenounUS /ˈʌtərəns/
the use of uttered sounds for auditory communication
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
webnounUS /web/
an intricate network suggesting something that was formed by weaving or interweaving
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It cleft the spell of inactivity which hung over officers and crew as the sweep of a scimitar cuts through the web of enchantment.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The shouting of those three syllables was like the utterance of a talismanic word in an Arabian legend.
