used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/
at or toward the back of something
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
a division of the United Kingdom
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
divisible by two
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
undergo or live through a difficult experience
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
eye-wink
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
the act of departing
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
to an extraordinary extent or degree
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
leaguenounUS /liːɡ/
an association of sports teams that organizes matches for its members
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
luridadjectiveUS /ˈlʊrəd/
horrible in fierceness or savagery
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
at the same time but in another place
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
numblyadverb
in a numb manner; without feeling
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
have ownership or possession of
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
PrivilegenounUS /ˈprɪvlədʒ/
a special advantage or immunity or benefit not enjoyed by all
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
on the contrary
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
sailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/
the work of a sailor
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
transport commercially
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
undergo or be subjected to
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading Neither could I think, nor even greatly suffer.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
weltering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Rather I lay as it were numbly weltering in my despair.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What if I had known all that was going on meanwhile in that other ship, a league behind us, sailing under the lurid sky!
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading The events which I am now about to set down were not, as will be seen, matter of my own experience.
Woman'snounUS /ˈwʊmənz/
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A Woman’s Privilege I did not sleep that night—not one eye-wink—in the hold of the New England ship.
