used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
ADRIFTadjectiveUS /əˈdrɪft/
aimlessly drifting
From this reading ADRIFT ON THE DEAD FLOE.
(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 All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
chaosnounUS /ˈkeɪɑːs/
a state of extreme confusion and disorder
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
crashingadjectiveUS /ˈkræʃɪŋ/
informal intensifiers
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading ADRIFT ON THE DEAD FLOE.
despairingadjectiveUS /dɪˈsperɪŋ/
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
driftverbUS /drɪft/
be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
dyingadjectiveUS /ˈdaɪɪŋ/
in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
something many people believe that is false
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
fiercelyadverbUS /ˈfɪrsli/
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
FLOEnounUS /floʊ/
a flat mass of ice (smaller than an ice field) floating at sea
From this reading ADRIFT ON THE DEAD FLOE.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
hailverbUS /heɪl/
praise vociferously
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
hissingnounUS /ˈhɪsɪŋ/
a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
icyadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsi/
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
mockingadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːkɪŋ/
abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
obscuritynounUS /əbsˈkjʊrəti/
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ADRIFT ON THE DEAD FLOE.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
pathlessadjective
lacking pathways
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
responsenounUS /rɪˈspɑːns/
a result
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
seamennounUS /ˈsiːmən/
plural of “seaman” — a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
utter in a loud voice; talk in a loud voice (usually denoting characteristic manner of speaking)
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
sowingverbUS /ˈsoʊɪŋ/
-ing form of “sow” — place (seeds) in or on the ground for future growth
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
spoondriftnoun
spray blown up from the surface of the sea
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
sweepsnounUS /swiːps/
plural of “sweep” — a wide scope
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ADRIFT ON THE DEAD FLOE.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
tossedverbUS /tɔːst/
past form of “toss” — throw or toss with a light motion
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
tumblingnounUS /ˈtʌmbəlɪŋ/
the gymnastic moves of an acrobat
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
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 And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
wave-tops
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
plural of “wave” — one of a series of ridges that moves across the surface of a liquid (especially across a large body of water)
From this reading All was obscurity around me--a chaos of tumbling waves, of crashing ice and hissing hail.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And now from time to time I was covered by the icy _spoondrift_, as the water which the wind sweeps from the wave-tops is named by seamen.
wildlyadverbUS /ˈwaɪldli/
to an extreme or greatly exaggerated degree
From this reading I shouted wildly, fiercely, as the dying or despairing alone may shout.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A faint response seemed to come through the drift and the hail that was sowing the ice and pathless sea; but it might have been fancy, or my own cry tossed back by the mocking wind.
