used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
bowsnounUS /baʊz/
plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
confinedadjectiveUS /kənˈfaɪnd/
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
without stop or interruption
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
fistnounUS /fɪst/
a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting)
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
gainingverbUS /ˈɡeɪnɪŋ/
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
in a gradual manner
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
greater in size or importance or degree
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
infuriatedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈfjʊrieɪtɪd/
marked by extreme anger
From this reading The man was infuriated.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
large or big relative to something else
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
LingnounUS /lɪŋ/
water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two rather than 4 prongs
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
Ling's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man was infuriated.
managementnounUS /ˈmænədʒmənt/
the act of managing something
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
Men-Ching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
the act of pursuing in an effort to overtake or capture
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
river-junk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
sampannounUS /ˈsæmpæn/
an Asian skiff usually propelled by two oars
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
scarletnounUS /ˈskɑːrlət/
a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
seatingnounUS /ˈsiːtɪŋ/
an area that includes places where several people can sit
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
subsidedverbUS /səbˈsaɪdɪd/
past form of “subside” — wear off or die down
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
in the direction of
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
at the time that
From this reading Indeed, when they had sailed a few miles towards the east it became apparent to Ling that they were losing ground, that the distance between the two boats was gradually becoming greater.
which person or people
From this reading He stood at his great height in the bows of the _sampan_ from time to time, shaking his fist at the scarlet coat of Men-Ching, who was plainly visible upon the deck of the river-junk.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Throughout the greater part of the morning the pursuit continued without the _sampan_ gaining upon the larger boat.
intense anger (usually on an epic scale)
From this reading After a time, however, Ling’s wrath subsided; and seating himself, he confined his attention to the management of the sail.
