used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
(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 OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
eagerly desirous
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
awakenedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪkənd/
aroused or activated
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
captureverbUS /ˈkæptʃər/
succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
crashesnounUS /ˈkræʃɪz/
plural of “crash” — a loud resonant repeating noise
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
dissolutionnounUS /ˌdɪsəˈluːʃən/
separation into component parts
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
driftersnounUS /ˈdrɪftərz/
plural of “drifter” — a wanderer who has no established residence or visible means of support
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading THE WONDERFUL ESCAPE.
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
experiencing or showing fear
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
floenounUS /floʊ/
a flat mass of ice (smaller than an ice field) floating at sea
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
grindings
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
heraldverbUS /ˈherəld/
foreshadow or presage
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
march in a procession
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
past form of “mingle” — to bring or combine together or with something else
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
necessary for relief or supply
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
rumblingnounUS /ˈrʌmbəlɪŋ/
a loud low dull continuous noise
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
sealverbUS /siːl/
make tight; secure against leakage
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
the property of being physically or mentally strong
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WONDERFUL ESCAPE.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
timelyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪmli/
before a time limit expires
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Their floe began to herald its fast approaching dissolution.
underneathprepositionUS /ˌʌndərˈniːθ/
directly under, often hidden by what is above
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
voyagersnounUS /ˈvɔɪɪdʒərz/
plural of “voyager” — a traveler to a distant land (especially one who travels by sea)
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
warmernounUS /ˈwɔːrmər/
device that heats water or supplies warmth to a room
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading OUR voyagers needed all the strength and courage which the timely capture of the great seal had given them.
windyadjectiveUS /ˈwɪndi/
abounding in or exposed to the wind or breezes
From this reading They had drifted into a warmer sea, and windy March was well upon them.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The weary and anxious drifters were startled by day, and awakened suddenly by night, by a rumbling, mingled with fearful grindings and crashes underneath them.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading THE WONDERFUL ESCAPE.
