used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
in the past
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "It did," I answered.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
Britannicadjective
of Britain
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
the people of Great Britain
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
commandernounUS /kəˈmændər/
an officer in command of a military unit
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "It did," I answered.
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
floatingadjectiveUS /ˈfloʊtɪŋ/
borne up by or suspended in a liquid
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
founderedverbUS /ˈfaʊndərd/
past form of “founder” — fail utterly; collapse
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
galenounUS /ɡeɪl/
a strong wind moving 45-90 knots; force 7 to 10 on Beaufort scale
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
incredulouslyadverb
in an incredulous manner
From this reading "You her commander!" he reiterated incredulously.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It did," I answered.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
Majesty'snounUS /ˈmædʒəstiz/
possessive form of “majesty” — impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
man-o
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
offingnounUS /ˈɔːfɪŋ/
the near or foreseeable future
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
and nothing more
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
a human being
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
piratenounUS /ˈpaɪrət/
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
reiteratedverbUS /riˈɪtəreɪtɪd/
past form of “reiterate” — to say, state, or perform again
From this reading "You her commander!" he reiterated incredulously.
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
express in words
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/
a large beer glass
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
WaspnounUS /wɑːsp/
a white person of Anglo-Saxon ancestry who belongs to a Protestant denomination
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "It belonged to His Britannic Majesty's schooner _Wasp_, which foundered in the gale that sprang up immediately after the engagement; and I, her commander, was, so far as I know, the only person saved."
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading "Now, I wonder whether, by any chance, that piece of wreckage happened to belong to the British man-o'-war schooner that engaged a pirate schooner a few miles in the offing, about a month or two ago?"
wreckagenounUS /ˈrekədʒ/
the remaining parts of something that has been wrecked
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You were picked up floating upon a piece of wreckage, you say?" he remarked.
