used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
absentadjectiveUS /ˈæbsənt/
not being in a specified place
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
ascendverbUS /əˈsend/
travel up
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The bullet had passed under his ribs, on the left side of his body.
a youthful male person
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
brightlyadverbUS /ˈbraɪtli/
with brightness
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
bucketnounUS /ˈbʌkət/
a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
bulletnounUS /ˈbʊlət/
a projectile that is fired from a gun
From this reading The bullet had passed under his ribs, on the left side of his body.
the act of burning something
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
the act of determining the properties of something, usually by research or calculation
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
junknounUS /dʒʌŋk/
the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
laddernounUS /ˈlædər/
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading The bullet had passed under his ribs, on the left side of his body.
LingnounUS /lɪŋ/
water chestnut whose spiny fruit has two rather than 4 prongs
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
loweredadjectiveUS /ˈloʊərd/
below the surround or below the normal position
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
paraffinnounUS /ˈperəfən/
from crude petroleum; used for candles and for preservative or waterproof coatings
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The bullet had passed under his ribs, on the left side of his body.
procureverbUS /proʊˈkjʊr/
get by special effort
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
ribsnounUS /rɪbz/
plural of “rib” — support resembling the rib of an animal
From this reading The bullet had passed under his ribs, on the left side of his body.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
a strong line
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
transport commercially
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
not in physical motion
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
swarmedverbUS /swɔːrmd/
past form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The bullet had passed under his ribs, on the left side of his body.
under-vest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
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 He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Frank went on deck, and finding a rope ladder, lowered it over the side of the ship.
at the time that
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
an old word meaning “from where”
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
in or at the place that
From this reading By means of this Ling climbed to the deck, whence he descended to the cabin below, where the paraffin lamp was still burning brightly.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When they reached the junk, Ling was not able to ascend by means of the rope up which he had swarmed so easily before.
an old and formal word for “while”
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in
From this reading He asked Frank to procure for him a bucket of river water; and whilst the boy was absent, the man took off his coat and the thin under-vest that he wore.
