Chapter I · Chapter 1

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

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

Having no one else present.

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

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

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

a petty officer on a merchant ship who controls the work of other seamen

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

fearless and daring

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

the shore of a sea or ocean

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

prepare a hot meal

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

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

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

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

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

the act of consuming liquids

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

plural of “fist” — a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)

From this reading And he shook his fists and he tore his hair.

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

set up or found

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

long and light rowing boat; especially for racing

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

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

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

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

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

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

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

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 His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

the officer below the master on a commercial ship

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

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

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

of lesser importance or stature or rank

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

a city in northeastern France in Lorraine

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

connected with or belonging to or used in a navy

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

a separate part of a whole

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

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

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

recite in elocution

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment

From this reading And he shook his fists and he tore his hair.

the land along the edge of a body of water

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

plural of “shore” — the land along the edge of a body of water

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

and nothing more

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

unusual or striking

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

the complete duration of something

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

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

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

closely constrained or constricted or constricting

From this reading "Oh, I am a cook and a captain bold, And the mate of the _Nancy_ brig, And a bo'sun tight, and a midshipmite, And the crew of the captain's gig."

up to a particular time

From this reading Till I really felt afraid; For I couldn't help thinking the man had been drinking, And so I simply said:

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

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

commonly the lowest molding at the base of a column

From this reading And he shook his fists and he tore his hair.

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

From this reading 'Twas on the shores that round our coast From Deal to Ramsgate span, That I found alone, on a piece of stone, An elderly naval man.

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

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

abounding with or resembling weeds

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key:

a human being; “wight” is an archaic term

From this reading His hair was weedy, his beard was long, And weedy and long was he, And I heard this wight on the shore recite, In a singular minor key: