used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/
feeling or showing anger
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
cause to be bored
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
callousadjectiveUS /ˈkæləs/
emotionally hardened
From this reading We were completely callous now.
put or send forth
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading We were completely callous now.
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
dawnedverbUS /dɔːnd/
past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE TWELFTH DAY.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
being one more than ten
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
forenoonnoun
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
freshenedverbUS /ˈfreʃənd/
past form of “freshen” — make (to feel) fresh
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
HansnounUS /hɑːns/
plural of “han” — imperial dynasty that ruled China (most of the time from 206 BC to AD 220) and expanded its boundaries and developed its bureaucracy; remembered as one of the great eras of Chinese civilization
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
hoarseadjectiveUS /hɔːrs/
deep and harsh sounding as if from shouting or illness or emotion
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
leadenadjectiveUS /ˈledən/
darkened with overcast
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
the force of workers available
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
not any; not one
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We were completely callous now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
overboardadverbUS /ˈoʊvərbɔːrd/
to extremes
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
Peterkin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
releaseverbUS /riˈliːs/
release, as from one's grip
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
transport commercially
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
sixthadjectiveUS /sɪksθ/
coming next after the fifth and just before the seventh in position
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
steeringnounUS /ˈstɪrɪŋ/
the act of guiding or showing the way
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TWELFTH DAY.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
torpidadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrpəd/
slow and apathetic
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
in the direction of
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
TWELFTHadjectiveUS /twelfθ/
coming next after the eleventh and just before the thirteenth in position
From this reading THE TWELFTH DAY.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
communicated in words
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
waningnounUS /ˈweɪnɪŋ/
a gradual decrease in magnitude or extent
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading About eleven in the forenoon, Hans Peterkin, who was steering, suddenly uttered a hoarse cry.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were completely callous now.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
which person or people
From this reading On, this day two more of our men, who had been lying in a torpid state for three hours, died, and were cast overboard.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The sixth day dawned as the wind freshened and the waning moon went down in clouds; it dawned upon an angry sea, a leaden sky, and with a cold breeze that bore no ship--no hope of release towards us.
