used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
accentsnounUS /ˈæksents/
plural of “accent” — distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
bluffnounUS /blʌf/
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
breakwaternounUS /ˈbreɪkwɔːtər/
a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But I can’t see a sign.”
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But I can’t see a sign.”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
denseadjectiveUS /dens/
permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
DURBANnounUS /ˈdɜːrbən/
a port city in eastern South Africa on the Indian Ocean; resort and industrial center
From this reading DURBAN.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
in a gradual manner
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
growthnounUS /ɡroʊθ/
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
HarbourverbUS /ˈhɑːrbər/
secretly shelter (as of fugitives or criminals)
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But I can’t see a sign.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
and nothing more
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
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 THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
monkeysnounUS /ˈmʌŋkiz/
plural of “monkey” — any of various long-tailed primates (excluding the prosimians)
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
Norah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
PerseusnounUS /ˈpɜːrsiəs/
(Greek mythology) the son of Zeus who slew Medusa (with the help of Athena and Hermes) and rescued Andromeda from a sea monster
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
pierceverbUS /pɪrs/
cut or make a way through
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “But I can’t see a sign.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
sheeradjectiveUS /ʃɪr/
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “But I can’t see a sign.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
strainingnounUS /ˈstreɪnɪŋ/
an intense or violent exertion
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
swarmedverbUS /swɔːrmd/
past form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
toweredverbUS /ˈtaʊərd/
past form of “tower” — appear very large or occupy a commanding position
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
hard to endure
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
upwardsadverbUS /ˈʌpwərdz/
spatially or metaphorically from a lower to a higher position
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
vainlyadverbUS /ˈveɪnli/
to no avail
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading THE _Perseus_ was coming gently in to Durban Harbour, past a long breakwater and a high green bluff that towered sheer from the water.
(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 “Well, it may,” she said aloud, in accents of disappointment.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Some one had just told Norah that it swarmed with monkeys, and she was straining curious eyes upwards, trying vainly to pierce the dense growth that covered it.
