Chapter IX

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

(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 The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

past form of “approach” — move towards

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the 2nd largest ocean; separates North and South America on the west from Europe and Africa on the east

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

not in a state of sleep; completely conscious

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

confined by bonds

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

a slight wind (usually refreshing)

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

rid of obstructions

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

seemingly without interruption

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

a variable color averaging a deep pink

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the skilled practice of a practical occupation

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

absence of light or illumination

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

any of various platforms built into a vessel

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

plural of “disturbance” — activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

the quality of being a hindrance

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

fearful expectation or anticipation

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

relating to or being an element

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

past form of “encounter” — come together

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

an imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

at any time

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

especially spread in a fan shape

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

without fault or error

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

destroyed or killed

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

acting with uncertainty or hesitance or lack of confidence

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

only a very short time before

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

conformity or harmony

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

past form of “lash” — beat severely with a whip or rod

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

immediately past

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the condition of being essential or indispensable

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the middle of the day

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

not one thing; not anything

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

and nothing more

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

(usually preceded by “in”) a detail or point

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

plural of “sail” — a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

a large beer glass

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

skill in sailing

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

from a time in the past until now

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

make steady

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

possessing sweep

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

made hard or flexible or resilient especially by heat treatment

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading GROPING IN THE DARK Life on board the schooner _Coral_, bound for the South Seas, now became like one delightful dream.

in or at that place or location

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The sun rose clear and bright, and at high noon, as they approached the equator, it was sometimes hot, but the breeze which continually swept the deck tempered it to the crew and passenger.

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

under normal conditions

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

characterized by variety

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

change directions as if revolving on a pivot

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading There had been some elemental disturbances which required seamanship to weather, but nothing like that usually encountered in the Atlantic.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sails, fanned by the steady trade-wind, hardly ever required attention, since the course of the craft never varied more than a few points for days at a time, and whoever it was at the wheel, he might as well have lashed it fast and gone to sleep, for all the necessity there was of keeping awake.

belonging to which person

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading But there came a long spell of weather, faultless in every respect, and whose only drawback was the dread that each day would be the last of such delight.