used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
aftadverbUS /æft/
at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
Bol's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
brignounUS /brɪɡ/
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts
From this reading The brig slipped cleverly through the sea.
cleverlyadverbUS /ˈklevərli/
in a clever manner
From this reading The brig slipped cleverly through the sea.
cutwater
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
echoverbUS /ˈekoʊ/
to say again or imitate
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
the boundary of a surface
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
floatedverbUS /ˈfloʊtəd/
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
furthestadverbUS /ˈfɜːrθəst/
to the greatest degree or extent or most advanced stage (“furthest” is used more often than “farthest” in this abstract sense)
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
in a gradual manner
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
hoveverbUS /hoʊv/
inflected form of “heave” — utter a sound, as with obvious effort
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading OFF THE ISLAND.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
hear with intention
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading OFF THE ISLAND.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
razornounUS /ˈreɪzər/
edge tool used in shaving
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
reachesnounUS /ˈriːtʃəz/
plural of “reach” — the limits within which something can be effective
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The brig slipped cleverly through the sea.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
shrilled
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading The brig slipped cleverly through the sea.
tearingnounUS /ˈterɪŋ/
shedding tears
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OFF THE ISLAND.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The brig slipped cleverly through the sea.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
at the time that
From this reading When I guessed the island to be about three miles distant I hove the vessel to.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was like gently tearing through silk with a razor to listen to the noise that floated aft from her cutwater.
Yan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yan Bol’s pipe shrilled with an edge that seemed to fetch an echo from the furthest reaches of the dark sea.
