used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
(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 It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
the specified day of the month
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
divisible by two
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The wind had set in from the southwest.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The wind had set in from the southwest.
the line at which the sky and Earth appear to meet
From this reading ON THE HORIZON.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
hurricanenounUS /ˈhɜːrəkeɪn/
a severe tropical cyclone usually with heavy rains and winds moving at 63-136 knots (12 on the Beaufort scale)
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The wind had set in from the southwest.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
used to form the superlative
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
ninetyadjectiveUS /ˈnaɪnti/
being ten more than eighty
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE HORIZON.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
elude, especially in a baffling way
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
roadsteadnoun
a partly sheltered anchorage
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The wind had set in from the southwest.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
solidadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləd/
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
southwestnounUS /ˌsaʊˈθwest/
the compass point midway between south and west; at 225 degrees
From this reading The wind had set in from the southwest.
structuresnounUS /ˈstrʌktʃərz/
plural of “structure” — a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
tempestnounUS /ˈtempəst/
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE HORIZON.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading At that date the tempest took its most terrible form, that of the hurricane.
velocitynounUS /vəˈlɑːsəti/
distance travelled per unit time
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The wind had set in from the southwest.
windstorms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The air moved with a velocity of ninety miles an hour.
wrecksnounUS /reks/
plural of “wreck” — something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading It was indeed a hurricane, in fact, one of those terrible windstorms which wrecks all the ships of a roadstead, and which, even on land, the most solid structures cannot resist.
