used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
abilitynounUS /əˈbɪlətiː/
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
aversionnounUS /əˈvɜːrʒən/
a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
boundingverbUS /ˈbaʊndɪŋ/
-ing form of “bound” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
recognizable; marked
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
echoverbUS /ˈekoʊ/
to say again or imitate
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
eminentadjectiveUS /ˈemənənt/
standing above others in quality or position
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
entertainedadjectiveUS /ˌentərˈteɪnd/
pleasantly occupied
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
set up or found
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
gaylyadverb
in a joyous manner
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
the cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
linguistnounUS /ˈlɪŋɡwɪst/
a specialist in linguistics
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
McKenzie
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
subject to death
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
on one occasion
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
plural of “passenger” — a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
preferencenounUS /ˈprefərəns/
a strong liking
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
renderingnounUS /ˈrendərɪŋ/
a performance of a musical composition or a dramatic role etc.
From this reading Captain McKenzie possessed, in an eminent degree, the ability of rendering his passengers perfectly at home and happy.
ScotchnounUS /skɑːtʃ/
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
Scotchmen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
transport commercially
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
plural of “song” — a short musical composition with words
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
carry out
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
teachingnounUS /ˈtiːtʃɪŋ/
the profession of a teacher
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
termedverbUS /tɜːrmd/
past form of “term” — name formally or designate with a term
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Captain McKenzie proposed teaching to me the Spanish language, being a perfect linguist himself.
tractableadjectiveUS /ˈtræktəbəl/
easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
waftedverbUS /ˈwɑːftɪd/
past form of “waft” — be driven or carried along, as by the air
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading Once more I found myself on board a good ship, bounding gayly over the blue waters.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His crew were composed entirely of Scotchmen; and, every evening, the echo of their merry Scotch songs were wafted far over the deep sea.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
whiskeynounUS /ˈwɪski/
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading He found me far more tractable in that than in learning to take a glass of his “good Scotch whiskey,” as he termed it, to which I had taken a mortal aversion, and for which he entertained a decided preference.
