used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/
Having no one else present.
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
the act of breaking something
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
inflected form of “creep” — move slowly; in the case of people or animals with the body near the ground
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
dovenounUS /dʌv/
any of numerous small pigeons
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
hidingnounUS /ˈhaɪdɪŋ/
the activity of keeping something secret
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
hoveredverbUS /ˈhʌvərd/
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
lappingnounUS /ˈlæpɪŋ/
covering with a design in which one element covers a part of another (as with tiles or shingles)
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
not any; not one
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
overwhelmedverbUS /ˌoʊvərˈwelmd/
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading And Pilchard was overwhelmed with terror.
Pilchardnoun
small fatty fish usually canned
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
prostrateverbUS /ˈprɑːstreɪt/
get into a prostrate position, as in submission
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
move or cause to move back and forth
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
shantynounUS /ˈʃænti/
small crude shelter used as a dwelling
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
SoberadjectiveUS /ˈsoʊbər/
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
in or at or to some place
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
spectrenounUS /ˈspektər/
a ghostly appearing figure
From this reading Some spectre had seized him, and he could not shake it off.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
Swan's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading And Pilchard was overwhelmed with terror.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
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 No sound came to them but the gentle lapping of the waves.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
at the time that
From this reading When light crept gray and silent into the shanty, Pilchard stood and looked at Swan's prostrate form.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Sober as a dove Day hovered in the sky, and that solemn change which is Death was somewhere near, hiding and waiting; and Pilchard and Death and the breaking Day were for one second alone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And Pilchard was overwhelmed with terror.
